‘Policies are mockery of poverty alleviation’

Winning the Ramon Magsaysay award is not merely a proud moment for Harish Hande; it is also a reminder of a greater responsibility he has to shoulder.

The 44-year-old, who established Solar Electric Light Company (SELCO) in 1995, has been working towards dispelling the myth that the poor cannot afford or maintain the best of technology. SELCO, by providing solar energy solutions to over one lakh homes in India, has demonstrated precisely this.

Hande, who was initiated into the field during his visit to the Dominican Republic while doing his PhD, believes that while the potential for sustainable energy solutions is immense in India, it requires patience and policies, which are grounded. “These policies,” he said, “need to be drafted by practitioners and not by policy makers.”

About Bangalore, Hande said, “It is a wonderful city that has many people uniquely connected to social enterprises and the sector of social entrepreneurship. On a lighter note, he added, “The fantastic bus service has helped us reach rural areas much faster.”

“From energy efficiency, good building regulations in terms of day lighting, rain harvesting, solar for security and safer lighting as well as solar for water heating, Karnataka too has a lot of potential that needs to be tapped,” he said. He cited examples of rural banking in Karnataka that has shown a fantastic means to promote sustainable development through funding. “But, it needs to be scaled up,” he said. Sustainable development needs to be taken seriously too. “Sustainable energy is absolutely not taken seriously in India,” pointed out Hande. “In the name of development, we are making mockery of poverty alleviation and sustainability.”

He also emphasised that more youngsters need to come forward to work in and for the rural population. “Policies need to have a bottom-up approach to development and not just top to bottom,” he said.