That's an inference you see to be making, because I see no evidence in the story that this machine is being targeted at households too poor to have (or afford) electricity in their homes.

Just for reference, the cheapest semi-automatic washing machine I could find online is Rs.3990 or ~$65 [0] (there are cheaper models available offline, usually).

[0] http://compareindia.in.com/specification/washing-machines/ak...