Big B joins TERI efforts for lighting unlit villages

Mumbai, Jul 12 (UNI) Moved by the massive number of 1.6 billion of people, a third of them in India, not powered by electricity, mega star Amitabh Bachchan has joined The Energy Research Institute (TERI) efforts in lighting a billion lives.

Together with event managers Wizcraft, which is promoting ''Unforgettable Tour'', Amitabh aims to take up providing solar lanterns to 100 villages across the world and at the tour eve press conference here last night five villages had already been booked.

The 100 villages would be covered by February next year, Amitabh told the conference.

TERI Head and Nobel Laureate R K Pachauri, who spoke on the occasion wanted the stars of the tinsel world to take up the cause more seriously as their message to their fans would definitely yield desired results. He said the acceptance by the Bachchan family to be the torch bearers of the campaign lighting a billion lives evokes respect and admiration.

Wizcraft announced the launch of Green Globe Foundation in partnership with TERI at the IIFA awards in Bangkok last month and would support campaigns with regard to powering unelectrified villages and also planting a billion trees.

Amitabh, who expressed serious concern about the global warming assured Dr Pachauri that he would contribute his best efforts in promoting the cause of TERI.

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