NEW DELHI, July 26, 2018 – The Rockefeller Foundation and NITI Aayog, India’s premier policy think tank, today signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to advance the common goal of promoting research and innovation to guide policy-level thinking for rural electrification. The purpose of the SoI is to provide a framework for joint cooperation to advance rapid improvements in the scale and quality of electricity access in India. This will be achieved through the exchange of knowledge and expertise, collaborative research, and by advancing rural electricity access models with the public and private sector stakeholders.
The SoI was signed in Delhi by Mr. R.P. Gupta, Additional Secretary (Energy) on behalf of NITI Aayog and Mr. Ashvin Dayal, Associate Vice President and Managing Director of Power, The Rockefeller Foundation.
Mr. R. P. Gupta, Additional Secretary (Energy), NITI Aayog, said: “We are hopeful that the outcomes of this joint initiative will provide the necessary framework and constructs to inform policy formulation at the central and state level.”
Ashvin Dayal, Associate Vice President and Managing Director of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Power initiative, said: “As India continues to transform its energy sector and create productive livelihoods for millions of Indian families, this agreement between The Rockefeller Foundation and the Government of India’s premier policy think tank will allow us to work closely to find solutions that get power into rural homes and businesses at the last mile of electrification. Together, we are committed to giving consumers access to electricity and economic opportunity.”
This mandate on behalf of The Rockefeller Foundation will be implemented by its Indian subsidiary, Smart Power India.
Mr. Jaideep Mukherji, CEO of Smart Power India, added: “We are excited about this partnership with NITI Aayog. Under this partnership, we will develop and support the implementation of improved rural electricity distribution models at the state-level, which meet Government’s priority to improve the scale and quality of electricity access in India.”
About NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs. NITI Aayog is also developing itself as a state-of-the-art resource centre, with the necessary resources, knowledge, and skills, that will enable it to act with speed, promote research and innovation, provide strategic policy vision for the government, and deal with contingent issues. The Energy & International Cooperation vertical of NITl Aayog handles all aspects of the value chain of the energy sector.
About The Rockefeller Foundation
For more than 100 years, The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission has been to promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world. Together with partners and grantees, The Rockefeller Foundation strives to catalyze and scale transformative innovations, create unlikely partnerships that span sectors, and take risks others cannot – or will not. For more information, please visit www.rockefellerfoundation.org.
About Smart Power India
Smart Power India, a subsidiary of The Rockefeller Foundation, is the key agency for implementing the Smart Power initiative of the Foundation. Smart Power India aims to extend power to those without sufficient access, end energy-poverty and transform the livelihoods of underserved. To this end, it is working towards building and nurturing ecosystems to promote sustainable and scalable models to deliver electricity access. For more information: www.smartpowerindia.org
Media Contact:
Sidhartha Vermani
Smart Power India
+91 124 4692000
media@rockfound.org