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Odisha uses street plays to promote rooftop solar power
In Short
“The initiative is designed around the strength of street theatre as a powerful last-mile communication medium.
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Odisha uses street plays to promote rooftop solar power
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government, along with a discom, is using ‘nukkad nataks’ (street plays) to create awareness among people on rooftop solar power generation, an official said. The State government, along with TP Southern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPSODL), launched the drive in villages and remote tribal areas in eight districts on the benefits, eligibility and adoption process of ‘Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana’.
“The initiative is designed around the strength of street theatre as a powerful last-mile communication medium. Dedicated and trained artistes are travelling and performing specially developed plays in Odia and local dialects, using familiar characters, situations, humour, music and dialogue to explain the benefits of rooftop solar in a simple and relatable manner,” the official said.
The campaign is underway in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Gajapati, Kandhamala, Boudh and Ganjam districts, where 250 ‘nukkad nataks’ are being held. The performances are being held during evening hours, when rural communities are more likely to gather after their daily work.
The teams mobilise people at village-level locations before the performance, creating an opportunity for the audience not only to watch the play but also interact with the campaign team, he said. IEC (Information, Education and Communication) materials are also distributed, enabling interested consumers to understand the next steps.
TPSODL CEO Amit Kumar Garg said ‘nukkad natak’ is not just a communication activity but a conversation with the community. “When trained artistes speak in the language and dialect people understand, using situations they see in their everyday lives, a complex subject becomes simple and relatable. We have seen the effectiveness of this medium in our earlier safety and animal-safety campaigns. Our objective is to take solar awareness to the last mile and ensure that people in remote and tribal areas are not left behind in the clean-energy transition,” he said. TPSODL has earlier extensively used street plays for public safety, animal safety, prevention of unauthorised hooking, electrical safety, energy conservation and other community-awareness initiatives.
