Dungarpur SoUL Project Receives Prime Minister's Award for Excellence 2017
Dungarpur initiative had a dual objective : that of distributing Solar Urja Lamps (SoULS) to school-going children together with their mothers and empowering women SHG members to operate solar enterprises to earn livelihoods thereby facilitating process of adaptation of solar technology. Key activity of knowledge and skill transfer through intensive training was completed in May 2016, which trained 93 women. Women have started with assembling of the lamps, raising awareness about solar PV technology through vigorous campaign and distributing SoULs.
The Solar Urja Lamp (SoUL) Project of Dungarpur, Rajasthan received the prestigious Prime Minister's Award (certificate and trophy) under Innovation Category. The award was presented by our Hon'ble Prime Minister to the Collector Dungarpur Ex-Officio DURGA energy, on the occasion of Civil Services Day 2017 held in New Delhi on 20-21st April 2017. It was a tough competition, where, out of 830 applications, only 2 received the award under Innovation category. The Prime Minister also released a book, "New Beginning", on Innovations for the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence, available online at http://darpg.gov.in/sites/default/files/Book-on-Innovations-released-by-Hon'ble-PM-on-CSD,2017.pdf. In the book, the integral role of IIT Bombay in the SoUL project is prominently credited (pages 53-56).