We will take you to the history of Bal Urja Rakshak Dal…
We at the Gujarat Energy Development Agency are implementing a state wide School Energy Education Progarmme for 1800 Secondary and 1800 primary Schools in Gujarat. BURD ( Bal Urja Rakshak Dal) as its is popularly known, the programme is an participatory energy conservation awareness initiative initiated at the behest of the Hon’ble CM Sh Narendra Modi,. The Porgramme is being implemented across the state since 2003-04, annually motivating 50,000 School Students as Uraj Rakshaks and 3600 Urja Agevans for restrain energy use and spread awareness on best practices in energy conservation. Gujarat is leading in implementing such a large–scale School Intervention programme.
It was in 2003, the then GEB (Gujarat Electricity Board), now GUVNL (Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. www.guvnl.com and GEDA (Gujarat Energy Development Agency www.geda.org.in) launched this ambitious programme, the Bal Urja Rakshak Dal (BURD), literally ‘teams of child energy guards’ in 2004.
Programme Objective
The objective of the programme is to mobilize children as Urja Rakshaks, energy guards, who as energy leaders will motivate responsible, rational, and restrained use of energy in their homes, schools and community by encouraging right energy choices. Energy guards would reach out to the community to promote best practices in energy conservation, energy efficient technologies, renewable energy alternatives and ethical use of energy. They’ll promote the R3Es!
The BURD programme is designed as a mass outreach that starts young. It draws on children’s potential as persuasive and powerful agents of change in their immediate community, and builds on the fact that energy values and habits that promote a sustainable future need to be inculcated in the young through experiential learning.Appropriate learning resources, real world experiences and school-community action projects would broaden the students understanding of energy issues and energy choices, in the wider techno-economic, social, environmental and ethical contexts.
The programme experience would enable children and teachers acquire energy skills as life skills.
The Rakshak Action programme was designed to realize the BURD mission to create an Energy-wise Gujarat.
The participatory action plan has been designed to build the children’s analytic, organizational, leadership and energy skills. The programme is designed to demonstrate that the power of change lies with the individual; small and seemingly insignificant change-encouraging actions, when repeated diligently, with tireless consistency, grow into dominant trends that can transform our world with an almost effortless energy.
The BURD programme evolved from the overwhelming response of 10,000 children from 1500 schools to a statewide “Catch -the-Culprit” Competition(November 2003) organized by GEDA (www.geda.org.in) and GUVNL as an experiment to involve children in the Campaign against Power Theft.
The Bal Urja Rakshak Dal programme (launched in June 2004), initially mobilized 986 schools. Each school Urja Rakshak Dal team has 20 energy guard volunteers, drawn from class 7-11(secondary, higher secondary and in some instances, higher primary) and 2 teachers.
The outreach(Link to the ‘Program Outreach’ tab) of the BURD programme was significant as 1, 75,000 children from 3750 school-eco clubs joined the BURD programme as associate members - Urja Doots. Thus in the initial year the programme will empower 2, 00,000 students to “practice and promote” energy conservation
Gujarat Energy Development Agency is the State nodal and designated agency, engaged in the promotion and popularization of renewable energy and energy conservation, is also the Nodal and Resource Agency implementing the programme in the state. The programme in the first year was facilitated by the local partnership with Community Science Centres(Link to the List of the CSCs of this year) and NGOs working in environment education and the active support and funding of all the 8 power players (utilities) during 2004-05 (Link to ‘Programme Partners’ tab) in the state - State and Independent Power Providers.
Our Focus
Gujarat is leading in implementing such a large–scale School Intervention programme.
The focus of the programme has been on wider reach and qualitative presentation.
Interest in the programme is being sustained through district and state level events viz. Competitions and Celebrations viz. Urja Utsavs, Akshaya Urja Celebrations and Urja Din Celebrations, and participation in the BEE-organized National level drawing Competitions.
Deeper understanding of energy, energy conservation and allied issues are encouraged through hands on projects for Urja Rakshaks viz. sustainable energy architecture, energy audit in homes and schools, neighbourhood energy studies and Urja Seva.
Greater emphasis is given on capacity building of School Teachers – the Urja Agevans through the delivery of technical modules.