The History of the Solar Charkha Mission
- In 2016, a mission solar charkha pilot project was launched in Khanwa village in Bihar’s Nawada district.
- After the success of the pilot initiative, it was officially launched on 27th June 2018 on United Nations Day by the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
Solar Charkha Mission
Solar Charkha Mission requires the establishment of Solar Charkha Clusters, which would include a central community and neighboring villages within an 8 to 10-kilometre radius. Further, such a cluster will benefit 200 to 2042 people (spinners, weavers, stitches, and other skilled artisans). Each spinner will be given two charkhas, each with ten spindles. On average, such a cluster is expected to have around 1000 charkhas. A full-capacity cluster will directly employ 2042 artisans. The Indian government has approved 50 such clusters with a budget of 550 crores for 2018-19 and 2019-20. The Scheme is expected to generate over one lakh direct jobs in the approved Fifty (50) Clusters.