Indian Army, Pune-based foundation light up LoC village Simari with solar power

Simari, a remote border village along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, is now fully electrified, thanks to the a solar power project installed jointly by the Indian Army and a Pune-based foundation.

"In a powerful example of inclusive development and national service, Simari, a border village in Karnah Valley, has been fully electrified and LPG-enabled through a joint initiative of the Indian Army's Vajr Division and Aseem Foundation, under the aegis of Chinar Corps," said a defence spokesperson.

One half of Simari lies in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and holds strategic and democratic importance as India's polling booth number 1. The border village has 53 households with 347 residents.

"Until now, darkness was an everyday reality here. Erratic supply forced families to rely on kerosene lamps and firewood, children had to study in fading twilight, and livelihoods were suspended with every power cut," the spokesperson said.

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When villagers appealed for help, the Indian Army's Chinar Corps answered under Operation Sadbhavana, and partnered with Aseem Foundation to come up with a solution.

Now, four solar clusters stitch Simari together, each fitted with high-efficiency panels, inverters and battery banks that "guarantee round-the-clock electricity," he said.

The project is dedicated to the memory of Colonel Santosh Mahadik, who was awarded Shaurya Chakra posthumously. He had laid down his life, fighting terrorists in Kupwara district in November 2015.

The late colonel's mother Kalinda Mahadik is slated to join the Commander of Tangdhar Brigade, deputy commissioner of Kupwara, and founder and managing director of Aseem Foundation Sarang Gosavi in a ceremony to formally operationalise the project.

Defence