Dewee

PCI India is implementing DEWEE initiative which aims at enhancing income and livelihoods 10,000 self-help group (SHG) women entrepreneurs through adoption and implementation of decentralized renewable energy (DRE) in the state of Uttar Pradesh. With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), and Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), PCI India is providing technical support to Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihoods Mission (UPSRLM) in, (i) identifying 10,000 different women enterprises under the fold of SHG women households, (ii) developing financial products for each type of enterprise through convergence with different govt. schemes/departments and microfinance institutions, (iii) ensuring availability of affordable finances, (iv) identification of competent vendors and supporting the enterprise owners in solar PV installation, and, (v) tracking the technical performance of the solar installations and financial performance of the enterprises to ascertain the evidence of the DRE interventions. PCI India has already identified the decentralized Take Home Ration (THR) production and distribution initiative of the UPSRLM, wherein the SHG women have setup 204 THR manufacturing units with the production capacity of 5MT/day. These manufacturing units are women owned and operated by the SHG women and serve dual objective of providing nutritious food to the vulnerable rural population (specifically 0-6 years old children and pregnant and lactating women) and providing income opportunities to 4,000 SHG (20 women per THR unit) women. Additionally, the program aims to identify additional 10,000 women enterprises and extend the benefit of renewable energy to enhance their business income.