When a solar pump broke in their village, it used to stay broken for weeks. Technicians came from the district town, if they came at all. So in 2023, a self-help group of women in Madhya Pradesh asked a simple question: why can’t we fix it ourselves?
Today their cooperative has 40 trained members who repair solar pumps, home lighting systems and inverters across 60 villages. They charge a fixed fee per visit and keep a shared stock of spare parts.
Skills that pay
Most members earn between ₹6,000 and ₹11,000 a month, often more than their husbands earn from farming in a dry season. Two members now train new technicians for a state rural livelihoods programme.
People used to ask where the technician was. Now they ask for me by name.
