Bibhuti – “I have a dream of a kerosene-free India”
Bibhuti Pradhan, born in 1967
Senior member at the research department at Indian Oil
Management program: August 2009 – December 2009
Host company: Stockholms Lokaltrafik
For many poor people in rural India, kerosene lamps are the only lighting option. But they give a weak lighting, emit a lot of carbon dioxide - and what’s worse, their sooty smoke causes lung cancer, killing thousands of Indians every year.
“I have a dream of a kerosene-free India. It is a very ambitious target. The proportions we’re talking about are mammoth; there are 600 000 villages in India. But where there is a will, there is a way”, says Bibhuti Pradhan.
Being a senior member of the research department at Indian Oil, there is definitely no lack of projects for Bibhuti to work with. But you can easily tell that his heart is set on this one in particular. He had the bright idea of replacing the dangerous kerosene lamps with solar lanterns before joining the management program, but in Sweden, he got a lot of assistance in developing his plan.
“We got a lot of inputs to refine the project, and develop frameworks to scale it up in all of India, and later on in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The problem of clean energy is a global one, affecting more than two billion people”, he says.
After discussions here, Bibhuti also concluded that it would be better to rent out the lanterns than to simply give them away. The cost would be the same as for kerosene lamps. In return, the villagers get a brighter, cooler, “green“ - and safe, light.
“We debated at length, we said that the project was to be replicable, and financially viable – standing on its own two feet”, he says.
This decision was a sign of Bibhuti’s changing perspective; from seeing CSR as pure philanthropy, to a concept resting on social and environmental responsibility, but also, on profitability.
While in Sweden, Bibhuti also did a biogas project for Stockholms Lokaltrafik, and he’s eager to introduce this green fuel in buses in India. The Swedish Institute also set up a meeting for him with Stockholm Biogas. Bibhuti thinks the prospects for future collaborations are good.
“I do not know what will happen between Indian Oil, SL and Stockholm Biogas, but we’re on the stage where we’re saying ‘Let’s do this!’”, he states with enthusiasm.
As for the solar lanterns, the project is already well on the way. Indian Oil wants to launch the scheme all over India, and quickly too. By March 2010, they aim to have covered six states.
“I’m extremely excited, because my ultimate goal is changing lives through green energy”, says Bibhuti.