MUMBAI, India, October 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
The Western Union
Company (NYSE:WU), a leader in global payment
services, this Diwali is looking forward to lighting up
many homes in remote villages of India. The aim is
to make electricity available to those in the villages who have
never seen or experienced a light in their homes. Each
remittance received from designated countries (see below) during
the period 15th October to 30th November, 2015 through
Western Union® services will contribute towards the lighting up of
a village in rural India.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130515/613588 )
(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151020/278572 )
Western Union will contribute up to INR
100 for each Western Union remittance received in India from designated countries during this
period. We anticipate that around 10 villages across
India may benefit from this initiative.
Today just 69[1]per cent of the
population have access to electricity connections and the
situation is even grimmer in the interior regions of the country.
For example,
in Bihar 80[2] per cent
of households experience almost zero access to
electricity. Hence to make the Government's initiative
of, "Power for All[3]"
a dream come true and to ensure households in villages
have light this Diwali, the Indian diaspora now have an
option to remit money to India and contribute to the success of this
initiative.
People sending money to India
via Western Union from US, UK, Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand will have an
opportunity to light up people's lives this
Diwali. Several villages in the hinterland of
India will get access to light for the first
time from solar powered lamps. Through
this campaign, Western Union will use the contribution to
engage The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in erecting
solar panels for each household in the targeted villages, and each
household will get three solar connections - two for
electricity and one for cooking.
Kiran Shetty, Western
Union's Managing Director & Regional Vice
President, India &
South Asia, said: "By
providing solar lamps to these households they will be able to
celebrate the festival of lights and dispel darkness in their
homes. This platform also ties into the Prime Minister's objective
of ensuring every village has power supply by the year
2022[4]. The solar lamps will
provide a sustainable option for electricity where kerosene lamps
have been used for decades. We intend to spread the festive cheer
to these villages and let them experience a bright Diwali too."
Dr. I H Rehman, Senior Director, Lighting a Billion
Lives, from TERI said:
"Around 300[5] million
citizens in India have no
access to electricity and renewable energy is one way to
bridge this gap. The Indian government is making aggressive
moves to accelerate the country's solar energy supply in regionals
like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh who face a
severe power deficit. We are glad to associate
with Western Union and to make electricity an
accessible commodity in villages who have used biomass fuels
extensively for light and cooking. "
This initiative to light up Indian villages is a part
of Western Union's global WU chain CSR program,
'Chain of Betters' which aims to move money for better and to
celebrate some of the great things that moving money can achieve.
With the movement of money this festive season, many villages will
have their homes lit as a result of money being transferred across
borders.
Be a part of all the action as it unfolds on the WUIndie
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/WUIndie/videos/803475633094189/
. Terms and conditions apply.
Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global
payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago
Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment
services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with
fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around
the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of
June 30, 2015, the Western Union,
Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a
combined network of over 500,000 Agent locations in 200 countries
and territories and over 100,000 ATMs and kiosks. In 2014, The
Western Union Company completed 255 million consumer-to-consumer
transactions worldwide, moving $85
billion of principal between consumers and 484 million
business payments. For more information, visit
http://www.westernunion.com.
Source:
1. http://ceew.in/pdf/CEEW-ACCESS-Report-29Sep15.pdf
2. http://ceew.in/pdf/CEEW-ACCESS-Report-29Sep15.pdf
3.
http://powermin.nic.in/upload/pdf/joint_initiative_of_govt_of_india_and_andhrapradesh.pdf
4.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/PM-for-24-hour-power-supply-in-every-village-by-2022/articleshow/48802057.cms
5.
http://www.saaresolar.com/national-state-news/solar-power-is-booming-in-india-will-it-reach-the-people-who-need-it-most/