Meet the Women Who Made Maharashtra’s First 100% Solar Village Possible

24 April 2025

Manyachiwadi—a tiny village of 420 people is Maharashtra’s first fully solar-powered village. And behind this transformation is an incredible story of women power and community action.

Nearly 16 years ago, life was tough in the hot Manyachiwadi. Power cuts lasted up to 8 hours a day. Women struggled with household chores. Children couldn't study. Mobile phones stayed dead.

Tired of waiting, the village's women-led Self Help Groups (SHGs) pooled money to install solar panels and solar-powered LED lamps in every home.

"It’s the women who bear the brunt of managing without proper electricity. Cooking, cleaning, looking after the children—it all becomes much harder in the dark."

"So, when the power cuts became too unpredictable, we knew we could not wait for someone else to solve our problem. As a group, we took matters into our own hands," says a homemaker.

Each woman contributed  Rs 4,500 towards buying the solar system for their own houses, with the gram panchayat pitching to install it in other buildings.

By 2019, every household in the village had 24x7 electricity, without relying on the grid. It was also saving them lakhs in electricity bills.

The impact? Study hours returned, phones came back to life, internet connectivity became available 24X7 and women reclaimed time for themselves.

Today, with over 100 solar installations, the village uses the sun to power homes, schools, CCTV network, streetlights, water supply, and its gram panchayat office.

The village now has a negative net bill, i.e surplus electricity generated is sold to the state electricity board! Even hard copies of power bills are not sent to the village—an attempt to go 100% green.

Residents even gave up their land voluntarily to help build roads, covered drainage and even cellphone towers, reflecting a shared responsibility.

"We have better drainage systems than any town or city. This is what happens when a community rises over politics and comes together for the welfare of the society," says a proud resident.

There have been no elections in Manyachiwadi for 30 years. Here, trust wins. The gram sabha unanimously selects leaders based on action, not ambition.

Little wonder the village has won 59 awards, including the prestigious Adarsh Gram Award. Today, Manyachiwadi is gearing up to harness solar power for agritourism!