Twilite brings light in women’s lives

Visakhapatnam: Twilite – a pilot project to produce LED bulbs set up tribal women at Rampachodavaram in East Godavari with the support of ITDA now tastes success with an impressive turnover of nearly Rs 3 crore.

A year ago, The Hans India came up with a piece on the same venture that was initiated by Rampa Girijana Mahila Samakhya Industrial Cooperative Society Limited (RGMSICSL) with 40 educated tribal women as its shareholders.

Now, East Godavari-based LED lights assembling facility in the Agency area of Rampachodavaram is trying to expand its business wings in other districts, too, in the state.

With more than satisfactory business they are doing, the firm has recruited another 30 tribal women job aspirants taking up their staff count to 70, who are from the Agency mandals of Maredumilli, Rampa Chodavaram, Devipatnam, Ganagvaram, Addatheegala and Rajavommangi.

“People laughed at me when manufacturing LED bulbs project was in pipeline. Even persons from my own tribal community asked how could you produce lights with latest technology when we rarely saw normal bulbs and used them in our village,” recollects K Veera Lakshmi, who is a B Tech graduate and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Twilite.

So far, the projects bagged by the Twilite include supplying 3,000 LED tube lights to Srisailam Devastanam, streetlights to all panchayats in East Godavari district, APEPDCL project worth Rs 3 crore and many others.

Known for their eco-friendly life style, once again the tribal women are proving their mettle by producing energy efficient LED lights that help decrease the carbon foot print and saves environment.

“Not only me from our community, even other girl students who completed Intermediate, graduation and engineering went for MNREGS works as we didn’t find any employment. Our morale was so low at that time as there was no money for us even to apply for jobs that match our qualification. Now, our parents are over the moon.

Moreover, they feel secured as the firm has been set up in the Agency area itself,” said Ch Indravathi from Rampachodavaram.

“There is good business for Girijan honey and other products that come from the Agency area because they are pure and of good quality. In the same way, we are producing LED lights for lesser price and with two years warranty on our products,” explains Veera Lakshmi.

Meanwhile, the Mahila Samakya Industrial Cooperative Society is also seeking government support to market and publicise Twilite products.

By Y Abhishek Paul