Western Union to light up Indian homes in remote villages this Diwali

The aim is to make light available to those in the villages who have never seen nor experienced a light in their homes.

Each remittance received from designated countries (see below) during the period Oct 15 to Nov 30 through Western Union services will contribute towards the lighting up of a village in rural India.

Western Union will contribute up to INR 100 for each Western Union remittance received in India from designated countries during this period. We anticipate that around 10 villages across India may benefit from this initiative.

Kiran Shetty, Western Union’s Managing Director & Regional Vice President, India & South Asia, said, “By providing solar lamps to these households they will be able to celebrate the festival of lights and dispel darkness in their homes. This platform also ties into the Prime Minister’s objective of ensuring every village has power supply by the year 2022. The solar lamps will provide a sustainable option for electricity where kerosene lamps have been used for decades. We intend to spread the festive cheer to these villages and let them experience a bright Diwali too.”

I H Rehman, Senior Director, Lighting a Billion Lives, from TERI said, “Around 300 million citizens in India have no access to electricity and renewable energy is one way to bridge this gap. The Indian government is making aggressive moves to accelerate the country’s solar energy supply in regionals like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh who face a severe power deficit. We are glad to associate with Western Union and to make electricity an accessible commodity in villages who have used biomass fuels extensively for light and cooking. ”