In ‘dark’ UP, voters want eco-friendly solar power to brighten their lives
In poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, power cuts are a regular affair. The problem is so acute that in many places, the residents of the state have to endure 12 to 16 hours of power cuts daily. This has made their lives miserable, especially for farmers and factory owners. As the state is all set to elect members for a new legislative assembly soon, majority of voters want solar power to solve the perennial problem. According to a survey commissioned by 8minutes Future Energy Ltd, a huge chunk of voters have expressed their preference for solar power to deal with electricity crisis. The digital survey has been conducted recently in association with IndiaSpend and FourthLion.
Around 87% of voters in UP would opt for solar energy if it helped improve air quality and reduce pollution, stated a report by The Economic Times. The worst affected people by power cuts are women, rural people and Dalits “The survey has revealed that of the 38% of UP voters facing power cuts every day, 58% are women, 59% are rural voters and 61% Dalits,” added The Economic Times. Almost half of the urban residents feel that air pollution is causing harm to their health. Around 46% of urban voters said the air they breathe is polluted, compared with 26% of rural voters, revealed the survey. Surprisingly, people belonging to the low income groups are more supportive of solar power than higher income voters. Reason, perhaps because they believe that solar energy could be a lower cost alternative.
In fact, the 8minutes announced the survey results on Tuesday after the inauguration of its rooftop solar project at Lucknow’s Ambar mosque. Thus the mosque became the first all-women run minority religious institution in the country to go green. Arjun Srihari, head of marketing and partnerships, at 8minutes Future Energy, said, “This rooftop solar project is a great example of how every community can benefit from solar. The entire process of taking either your home or your business solar is extremely quick and simple, and will result in significant financial benefit in terms of the savings on your electricity expenditure.”
