12 May 2012: Through its Lighting a Billion Lives Programme (LaBL), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has entered into a five year partnership with Indus Towers, a company that provides passive infrastructure services to telecom operators, have entered into a five year partnership to sponsor clean energy and rural entrepreneurship in 660 villages in India.

This partnership will encourage local entrepreneur-driven delivery channels to be created for distribution and servicing of solar lanterns to rural communities. Through this initiative, Indus Towers will also be part of greenhouse gas mitigation efforts, and estimates that about 5000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year will be avoided. On this, BS Shantharaju, CEO, Indus Towers, highlighted his company’s efforts that have reduced usage of 62 million liters of diesel in the last 2 years, and expressed hope that the initiative would recreate India’s image into an eco-friendly nation.

The first villages chosen for implementation under this partnership are in Kanpur Dehat district. It is also expected that the initiative will create 660 jobs. [TERI Press release]