TCF has initiated programmes to mitigate anthropogenic pressures on the forest and wildlife. As a first step towards achieving this larger goal, TCF, in collaboration with TERI and the Forest Department of Bandhavgarh, has established a solar-powered charging station and donated 60 solar lanterns to households in Rakhi village, situated at the outskirts of the tiger reserve and has no state-supplied electricity. The main objective of TCF is to minimize the practice of firewood collection from the forest and to curtail the burning of fossil fuels by the villagers for lighting purposes. The project is a part of TERI’s ‘Lighting a Billion Lives’ campaign that is being implemented throughout the country. The project was launched by Mr. C. K. Patil, IFS, Field Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

TCF’s baseline survey has revealed that each family burns an average of 8-10 kg of firewood every day to meet with their daily needs. With around 100 households in the village, an average of 300 quintal of firewood is burnt every year for lighting homes. In first phase of our pilot project, 60 families were chosen for distribution of solar lanterns based on the expression of interest received from the selected families. The project will be self sustainable and will be managed on the principles of micro-finance. The villagers of Rakhi have welcomed the project and are quite satisfied with the performance of the solar-powered lanterns. TCF will soon extend the scheme to cover the entire village of Rakhi and subsequently to other non-electrified villages around the tiger reserve. Village Eco Development Committee of Rakhi, panchayat members, TCF and TERI have worked in collaboration to start this pilot project. Possibilities of outlining further projects on the principles of ‘sustainable development’ are in the pipeline.