If you are a 10-year-old in Kerala wanting to own a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or Philip Pullman’s latest adventure yarn, here is an easy way.
All you have to do is switch off lights at your home, turn off the TV when it plays to an empty room and see to it that the iron box plug is unpinned when not in use. Kids who h
elp cut down the power bill in their houses will get gift coupons from a grateful state government which they can exchange for books in selected shops. The more power you save, the more coupons you get.
The CPI(M)-led state government, which is grappling with a power crisis and declining academic standards, has come up with this ingenious scheme to solve both by promoting two beneficial habits — reading and saving electricity.
“We are planning to set apart Rs 30 crores for this scheme,” said finance minister T.M. Thomas Isaac.