The Development Trust of India (BVT), Manipal, established by Late TA Pai, has received the Ashden Award 2021 in the category ‘Energy Access Skills’.
The Trust’s Master Trainer Sudhir Kulkarni and Advisor Sudipta Ghosh receive the award from the President of Costa Rica, Charlos Alvarado Quesada, during the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, United Kingdom on 4 November.
The prize, in addition to a £20,000 purse, gives the winner the opportunity to exchange ideas and concepts with other organizations working in the sustainable energy sector. Ashden has been working towards finding solutions to climate change for over two decades, and is presenting awards to organizations working towards the same goal.
More than 800 organizations from across the world had supported for this year’s awards in nine categories, while two from India, including BVT, were among the winners.
Various initiatives of BVT create jobs apart from mitigating the impact of climate change. The Trust trains and educates people to imbibe eco-friendly skills in line with the global practice of implementing eco-friendly measures.
A team from Ashden reviewed the work of the Trust during a visit as part of the evaluation process.
emphasis on solar energy
The trust has trained over 1,000 employees of its stakeholders in solar energy skills over the past two decades, and works to execute tasks in rural development along with creating jobs for the youth. It aims to expand its scope of work across the country and includes training to stakeholders as well as consumers.
TA Pai, one of the architects of Manipal, established the trust. His wife Vasanti Pai later led the initiative focused on women empowerment. Retired Agricultural Technology Officer KM Udupa of Syndicate Bank expanded his growth and focus on renewable energy inspired by Harish Hande. Working towards self-employment through human resource empowerment, the Trust focuses on making a difference in the lives of the common man rather than any immediate gains.
If a bank official is convinced about the benefits of solar energy, he/she will provide financial assistance to the eligible person. Although the result of this action may not be visible, it will increase the income of the recipient and indirectly contribute to the development of a village. The Trust is exploring and implementing available opportunities in this direction.
reliable and economical
The Trust is working under Managing Trustee Ashok Pai in four important directions – Women Empowerment, Renewable Energy – Financial Institutions, Rural Governance Management and Sustainable Agriculture. Qualified people undergo regular training in these areas.
Believing that reliable and affordable energy solutions are the key to poverty alleviation since 1996, the Trust has conducted over 1,000 training sessions covering over 50,000 end consumers on solar energy skill improvement since 2001. It has also trained hundreds of bank executives from 680 financial institutions.
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