Background and Context
Vulnerable groups can be defined as those who are vulnerable under any circumstances, and those whose resource endowment is inadequate to provide sufficient income from any available source. Generally, vulnerable populations are groups of people who are at a higher risk of experiencing adverse outcomes due to various factors, such as socio-economic status, health conditions, age, disability, and more.


Overview of Vulnerable Community Institutions:Vulnerable Community Institutions (VCIs) are institutions which serve the most susceptible members of society. These institutions provide critical social welfare services to otherwise disadvantaged populations including people with disabilities, tribal communities, infants, young mothers, pregnant women and so on. They are typically located in rural and remote areas and run on bare minimum resources. These institutions need support on energy interventions and will most likely champion sustainable energy solutions.

Vulnerable community institutions provide underprivileged and marginalized communities with essential social welfare services. The institutions provide care for a variety of groups, including people with disabilities, babies and children who are at risk, senior citizens from low-income families, marginalized women, indigenous communities, and others. The institutions include low-income residential schools, orphanages, nursing homes, centers for skill development and rehabilitation, special healthcare facilities, and facilities for auxiliary maternal care, all of which have various energy needs. For example, Vulnerable Community institutions can include orphanages and adoption homes, old-age homes, Anganwadi, Bridge schools, Residential schools for differently abled students, Skilling and livelihood centers, Auxiliary maternal facilities, amongst others.

A lot of these institutions are in places where grid-based power supply is sparse or inconsistent, forcing them to divert their limited funding toward backup sources that have a negative impact on the economy and the environment.