MCT is engaged in promoting farm and non-farm-based income generation, livelihood enhancement and diversification through value chain and micro-enterprise development (integration into the commodity specific ecosystem) in 50 villages of district Gumla, Jharkhand. The average annual household income has risen from Rs 60,000 (baseline) to Rs 93,500 in the command area. Also, 122 jobs have been generated. We look to diversifying the livelihood opportunities in three ways - value addition in agriculture, agri-based enterprises and non-agri based enterprises.

Livelihood

At Mlinda, our work is driven by a clear focus on increasing rural economic growth while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using solar energy solutions as a platform. Through our transformative initiative based on decentralized – village level solar mini grids, we are also working on promoting biodiversity conservation and preventing depletion of water resources in order to address the climate change impact. Findings from an independent assessment by “60 Decibels” – a global impact measurement company, show that 285 Kg per HH-year of CO2e emissions has been averted in the project intervention area. Also, the green-house gas (GHG) emissions have reduced by 1,054 tonnes per year. 

Environment

One of the pillars of MCT’s approach to bring about structural change in the rural communities is “Inclusiveness”. We focus on to provide appropriate opportunities including access to technology, finance, market and business skills for women to grow and evolve as skilled micro entrepreneurs. Out of the 1,271 micro enterprises/businesses which use solar energy in the command area, 233 are women. Our target, in three years’ time is to have 40% of the micro enterprises run by women. Third-party assessment by “60 Decibels” highlighted following impacts specific to women:   •	The involvement of women in decisions regarding use of electricity is greater than with kerosene •	Women feel safer in moving out of their house even after dark. This had led to an improvement in their social interaction •	Women spend less time on chores and more time on income generating activities. Some women can run small shops in the village after sunset and others have engaged in agricultural labour.  •	Women’s SHGs have engaged in economic activities which utilize power from the mini grids.

Women Empowerment

Mlinda is operating entirely in a rural context, in Gumla District (Aspirational District) of Jharkhand state (Eastern India). Through our transformative initiative of clean energy based micro enterprise development, MCT is diligently working to promote economic development and community empowerment in 50 villages of 5 blocks in Gumla. We engage with rural communities of farmers, entrepreneurs, self-help groups and cooperatives either by collaborating with existing nonprofits like PRADAN and JSLPS (who build and nurture community institutions and promote livelihood) or by directly reaching out to groups and individuals through village level meetings. The villages experience overall positive, financial, social and environmental outcomes including infrastructure development, improved quality of life, and economic well-being of rural people.

Community & Rural Development

Mlinda Charitable Trust (MCT) is a not-for-profit entity, registered in India in the State of West Bengal as a Public Charitable Trust. To further our objectives of improving the lives of rural people of India through the provision of clean energy, the Trustees have chosen to enter into a relationship with the Mlinda Group, led by Mlinda Foundation CIO, a UK-registered charity. Mlinda is a group of organizations that work together to catalyze systemic change. The members of the group are Mlinda Foundation CIO, Mlinda Charitable Trust (an India-registered Trust), and Mlinda Sustainable Environment Private Limited (an Indian private company, majority owned by Mlinda Foundation CIO). Each organization is governed by its own Board of Directors and Management Team but works together under the Mlinda Group Agreement. Since 2014, MCT has been integral to Mlinda’s rural electrification and economic development project, delivered first in the Sunderbans and, currently, in Gumla district, Jharkhand. The nature of our activities to bring about structural change is guided by: ·      Diversity - a range of economic activities that complement each other and that provide opportunities for the whole population·    Resilience - diversity of activities, adequate savings, and access to finance to enable people and businesses to survive economic shocks·      Inclusiveness - active participation by the whole population, including women and vulnerable groups·      Sustainability - economic activities that do not damage, but ideally support and enhance the natural environmentOver the next 3 – 5 years, we aim to play an integral role in the Mlinda Group, creating and implementing a vision of sustainable economic development, using renewable energy as a catalyst for that growth which can be replicated, at scale, by many other organizations across the world.GoalMCT’s goal is to ‘promote sustainable economic development’ in the villages using solar energy solutions as a platform. We support the rural communities to build financially and environmentally sustainable businesses from solar energy. VisionPeople in developing countries have the right to improve their lives and livelihoods through economic development and growth. This process is already happening at great speed. Without a significant change from current behaviors, this rapid growth will do irreversible damage to the global environment. For development to be environmentally sustainable, it requires a shift from carbon-intensive energy production to green energy. MissionAchieve sustainable production and consumption.Our ExperienceMlinda has been active in the field of renewable energy since 2013. Mlinda has developed the present model over time building on its experience. During 2013 to 2015, Mlinda promoted economic development through Pico-grids in Sunderbans region of West Bengal. From 2016, we have been working in Gumla district which is a fifth schedule area of the constitution and an ‘Aspirational District’ of NITI Aayog. Following are the findings of a baseline study:• 85 % of the population in targeted villages are considered to belong to disadvantaged and marginalized communities.• 50% of the households belong to Other Backward Castes (OBC). While 35% belong to Scheduled Tribes (ST). • Annual household income is less than INR 50,000People face numerous challenges related to small highly dissected land holdings including terrains and undulated lands not so suitable for farming to earn cash income, rainfed monoculture (approx.20% irrigated area as per the KVK Gumla district profile), increasing risk of failures due to drought and heat wave conditions and possession of limited livestock. Gumla is underserved in energy. Most villages have little or unreliable, poor-quality power. Throughout the state of Jharkhand however, no solution exists for three phase power supply required for productive loads. Villagers spend significant resources on kerosene for lighting and expensive charging services for devices such as cell phones. Farm machinery is run on diesel which is price volatile.  The current model aims to provide 24-hour, seven-days-a-week pay-per-use energy to meet productive agricultural and commercial needs as well as domestic night-time use. The systems are also designed to increase in capacity once the village needs increase. Since 2022, Mlinda has been operating 44 mini grids with an installed capacity of 1024 kWp powering 11,200 households, we have reached 55,668 direct beneficiaries. This time around 976 farm &amp; non-farm-based productive load is connected to this system.Project Title: Replication of clean energy-based rural enterprise and value chain development by a tribal community collective in Murhu block of Khunti district in Jharkhand state.PurposeA. To replicate our current work on promoting a robust local economy using clean energy as a platform in at least two villages in the Murhu block of the Khunti district of Jharkhand.B. To deliver learnings on how the various energy systems can co-exist with informed and improved policy support. Mlinda’s groundwork will deliver evidence towards these recommendations to accelerate the replication and scaling of the model.Theory of ChangeIn our approach, we started by promoting the productive use of renewable energy (PURE). It involved the identification of existing farms and businesses using diesel-powered equipment and working with them to convert to electricity-powered equipment, while also identifying farmers and entrepreneurs ready to start new businesses using such equipment.These first-line businesses formed a critical part of the grid’s customer base, ensuring the fastest increase in demand and revenue. They also become strong community ambassadors for the value of the grid to productivity, income, and well-being.However, we soon learned that the growth of micro-enterprises both farm and non-farm is limited if they are not integrated into the commodity-specific ecosystem. Similarly, the barriers to access to finance, markets, and lack of business skills and capacity have to be unlocked to enable the micro-enterprises to multiply and grow rapidly at scale. It emerged that the attributes of diversity, resilience, inclusion, and sustainability are necessary ingredients for bringing the village economies out of poverty and following the pathways of sustainable growth. Thus evolved the long-term thinking of looking at products from an end-to-end or value chain perspective, locating and linking all the market players, particularly the producers and processors.The Replication ModelWe have developed and implemented a model that shows a small mini-grid operator, with a joint mandate to provide high quality reliable clean energy and to support the growth of the local economy can be a profitable business while reducing poverty and improving the lives of the local community.While on the ground, small-scale operators must be at the heart of this solution, there are significant tasks that must be delivered at a larger scale. Collaborating with replication partners, as new mini-grid operators must be driven at scale to meet the urgency of the climate change situation. Training of operators, especially on the local economic development aspects of the model that are likely outside the skills of engineers and businesses, must be consistent and based on continual learning. Raising funds, whether equity investment, debt, or grants, is increasingly possible only on a large scale, not accessible by small businesses. As inflation causes unprecedented rises in capital expenditure costs, procurement at scale will be increasingly important.This concept outlines Mlinda’s plan for building a franchising approach to enable rapid replication of the model and scaling of impact. Acting as a promoter, advisor, and franchisor, Mlinda will support a network of organizations by addressing fundraising, procurement, grid design, operation and maintenance, and economic development.The Replication ProjectThe replication partner is a tribal collective that has a strong membership and community presence in the villages of Ghaghari and Gaurbeda in the Murhu block of the Khunti district. They work under the umbrella of their gram sabha which is responsible for the governance of the village. The leaders of the tribal collective have read about the work of Melinda and approached us with their shared vision of economic development.They are particularly keen to promote value chain development of selected commodities and micro-enterprise development. Mlinda is keen to facilitate this replication by installing and commissioning a solar mini-grid with a capacity in the range of 25 to 35 kW. We can start with 25 kWp and then increase the capacity as demand increases. For the solar mini grid to be commercially viable at least 400 households will be connected as domestic customers. The focus would be to generate 50 percent of the revenue from micro-enterprises, 35 percent from domestic use, and the remaining 15 percent from irrigation. The crops taken up for processing will be paddy, wheat, ragi, mustard, groundnut, and NTFP like karanj and tamarind.Expected ImpactBeneficiaries: 2,000 People (400 households X 5 people/household)SDG 1 (No Poverty): 101% increase in household annual income and 64% reduction in households in the lowest two wealth quintiles.SDG 13 (Climate Action): 55% reduction in CO2 use (kg/hh)SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy): 98% of all households are connected with clean energy.SDG8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): 525% increase in microenterprises and 889% increase in Jobs.BudgetThe estimated cost for replicating the solar mini grid-based sustainable economic development in two villages in Murhu block of Khunti district of Jharkhand is Rs 40,00,000.

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Anisha Roy

Mlinda Charitable Trust

This nonprofit is registered as a charitable trust under section 12A of India's Income Tax Act, 1961.

This nonprofit is registered under section 80G of India's Income Tax Act, 1961. This means you can deduct 50% of the donation you made through your tax return.

This nonprofit is registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010. This means it can accept donations from foreign nationals.

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