Two Indians honored with the prestigious Magsaysay Award
Friday, 29 July 2011, 02:19 IST   |    9 Comments
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Harish Hande
Harish Hande, 44, is a Bangalore-based energy engineer and entrepreneur, who runs one of the leading solar technology firms in India that has has lit up over 120,000 households. He has been recognized for bringing solar lights to a country, where half the households have no power, the foundation said. "His passionate and pragmatic efforts to put solar power technology in the hands of the poor and has encouraged the poor to become asset creators," the foundation asserted. Hande who hails from a village in Udupi district, Karnataka, has been graduated from IIT Kharagpur and has a PhD from the University of Massachusetts in the U.S. He established his firm SELCO in Bangalore in 1995, inspired by his life experience in Caribbean countries and Sri Lanka. The company has ever since been engaging in providing affordable renewable energy services to poor villagers along with doorstep financing and services. "A persistent myth is the poor cannot afford the best technology. In India, where half of all households do not have electricity, this myth has stood in the way of spreading solar technology and its benefits," the Magsaysay Foundation noted in its citation. And Harish Hande is disproving this myth. Among other notable Indians who have been honoured with the coveted award include Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Jayaprakash Narayan, Mother Teresa, Arun Shourie, T N Seshan and Kiran Bedi.
Source: PTI
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