National Innovation Foundation finds special mention in presidents speech on Technology Day

Technological innovations at grassroots

The National Innovation Foundation has been able to scout and spot number of innovations which have taken place in our rural areas.

I would like to share a small innovation that Amrut-bhai of Juna-gad district did when the problem of women, drawing water from the well, was posed to him along with other innovators. While drawing water from 10 – 15 meters depth women find it difficult to keep holding the rope continuously. Sometimes, the grip gets loosened and the bucket falls into the well. By attaching a small lever over the pulley, Amrut-bhai has solved this problem that helps millions of women. This lever presses against the rope and does not let it slide down. When one has to pull in the rope, it lifts itself without causing any difficulty.

Kanak-das from Muri-gaon, has innovated a new cycle called Kanak cycle. The common people have to use bicycle for commuting locally in the katcha roads. A normal cycle will obviously slow down, given the undulations. In Kanak’s cycle, the energy normally getting dissipated in the shock absorbing springs is transferred with the help of gears to the rear wheel. Kanak has made roads’ differential heights work for him. Now the cycle runs faster. It is a platform technology and could be used in various means of transport. There are a large number of such innovators who have developed coconut-husking machine or have developed a hand pump in which 20 per cent water is compulsorily diverted to fill the animal drinking water troughs.

There is a need to encourage these creative minds and convert their inventions into commercial products using technology. R & D institutions, production agencies and SBI must become partners. These products will improve the quality of life of the rural people and become an inspiration for other creative minds apart from providing large scale employment in the rural sector. video