Madhya Pradesh Energy Efficiency Improvement Investment Program - Tranche 2 and MFF

Applying the gender lens in the design and implementation of energy projects can help ensure women’s access to quality power supply and in the process promote their empowerment. The MFF’s project experiences showed the many benefits that could result from gender-focused activities such as awareness-raising on gender equality and safe and efficient use of electricity, women skills training in energy-based enterprises, and the provision of business development services. These benefits include increases in the number of earning women, women entrepreneurs’ incomes, women’s propensity to save, and women’s participation in decision-making. The projects’ gender focus have also helped reduce (i) the time spent by women on household chores and women’s time poverty and drudgery, as men have become more willing to share in household chores, and (ii) the incidence of illness. Strong partnerships between the government and nongovernmental organizations have helped optimize the use of existing government, civil society, and private sector assets and resources for women’s economic empowerment.