Panasonic ties up with six NGOs to distribute 4,000 solar lanterns in India this year

By Surendra Panwar/(New Delhi)2014-03-19,12:47:04

These six leading NGO’s (non-profit organizations) include the World Health Partners, Plan International India, World Vision India, Care India, Japan Lutheran Evangelical Association and SARD. The initiative is for states such as Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Haryana.

Panasonic Corporation, a global leader in the development and engineering of electronic technologies and solutions has joined hands with six NGOs in India to distribute 4,000 solar lanterns in India this year. Last year the company had allocated 5000 solar lights.These six leading NGO’s (non-profit organizations) include the World Health Partners, Plan International India, World Vision India, Care India, Japan Lutheran Evangelical Association and SARD. The initiative is for states such as Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Haryana.

Some of the distinguished activities planned through these initiatives will encompass allowing medical care service at night to promote the healthcare campaign for poor and deprived families, and conduct eco-education classes in the evening for children without alternate sources of light. With the objective of fostering a better life, this project will also provide support to people in the BPL category to become self sufficient. Commenting on this initiative Dr. G. Prasad, Director- Off Grid Location, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Govt. Of India said “The mutual relationship between economic development and energy consumption is apparent. Electricity/Power has been universally recognized as one of the most important factors for economic growth and human development. In this light, increasing pressure of population and a cumulative use of energy in different sectors of the economy is an area of concern for India. This initiative by Panasonic will help solve various existing social issues. I would like to commend Panasonic for promoting such corporate citizenship projects in India by lending a hand to country’s growth.”

Manish Sharma, Managing Director, Panasonic India said “India has tremendous energy needs and an increasing difficulty in meeting those needs through traditional means of power generation. There is an unadorned disparity in demand and supply of power and our country risks facing a severe energy crisis in the future. The only solution that can help amend this situation is Renewable energy. Keeping this in mind, Panasonic realizes the need to provide an alternative and healthy source of energy to the people of India which is expected to play a significant role in helping meet the nation’s energy needs.”

Michiko Ogawa, General Manager, Corporate Citizenship Group, Panasonic Corporation said “In a bid to address electricity problems and to protect citizens, especially children, from harmful gases emitted by oil-based lanterns, we at Panasonic have been a part of this initiative and have already contributed solar lights to resolve various challenges in countries without electricity, especially to support the education and health sectors. We are very pleased to carry on this effort and lend a hand to India’s growth. These efforts are a continuation of our long-term commitment of building a better life for poor communities around the world.”

Panasonic has already enriched the lives of a considerable population in the world by launching successful solar lantern projects and allocated 10,000 compact solar lights to non-profit, non-governmental and humanitarian organizations working to solve social challenges in Myanmar (3,000 units) and India (5,000 units), along with 2,000 lights to refugee camps in Africa in 2013.