Anjali Sharma was chosen as the Girish Sant Memorial Fellowship for 2015-16.
After completing her bachelors in Mathematics from Delhi University (2010-2013), Anjali moved to Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai to pursue her masters in Climate Change and Sustainability Studies (2013-2015).
The fellowship report is an exploration of the linkages between electrification and non-farm income-generating opportunities in rural areas. Case studies of two villages were conducted for this study: one in Nagde village of Nashik district of Maharashtra, and the other in Nagwain panchayat of Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh both of which have significant and different non farm enterprises.
The ambit of enquiry was not limited to the attributes of electricity alone. Socio-economic factors and complimentary infrastructure & services which could encourage income-generating activities were also studied. Hopefully, this study would contribute to the existing knowledge of the causal relationship between electricity and development.
After completing her fellowship, Anjali joined the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park, with a specialisation in Energy & Environment.