G. Ravichandran
Coconut Dehusker

Mr. G. Ravichandran, a young farmer from Namakkal district in Tamilnadu, has developed a simple and easily transportable motorized device for dehusking coconuts. Coconuts are fed at one end and come out as dehusked coconuts at the other end. The machine has a high output of 400 coconuts per hour, is safe and easy to operate. In addition, the innovation has the advantage of being operated through tractor PTO, and delivers husk in a manner where it can be easily processed.

 K. Arvind, R. Sathyanarayanan, S. Karthikeyan,
T. V. Dhananjayan Multipurpose Syringe Pump for Economically Challenged Rural Hospitals

These engineering students from a Chennai-based Engineering College have developed an innovation that provides a low cost option to rural hospitals. The device combines in a single system the working of the syringe pump and infusion pump, which are both life saving equipment used in critical situations. The innovative features are the two-in-one nature of the device, safety, reliability and high affordability.

M. Mohammed Gany
Flow Control Valve

Equitable distribution of water in public water supply systems is a key issue. Mr. M. Mohamed Gany, a business man from Kanchipuram, has developed a patented valve device that will help agencies achieve equitable distribution of water and also prevent illegal tapping of water through the use of electric pumps. The valve also prevents the return flow of water from households and thus prevents the contamination of drinking water by sewage.

M. Mani
Modern Multicrop Thresher

Mr. Mani, a businessman from Sivagiri in Erode district, has developed this innovation based on the felt needs for basic mechanized implements in agriculture. This machine works with equally effectiveness for threshing several crops like paddy, wheat, maize, blackgram, groundnut etc. It is safe, has high productivity, reduces losses and can be attached to any type of tractor.

M. Parthasarathy
Surface-mounted Agricultural Pumpset in Open Wells

Mr. M. Parthasarathy, a Chennai-based entrepreneur, has developed an alternative to surface mounted pumps used in open wells. This pump works on a floating platform, thereby reducing suction head and avoids the problem of dry running. The innovation will be able to deliver energy savings due to overall efficiency achieved and deliver further savings by preventing damage to the pump.

Dr. M. Christopher
Instant Blood Sugar Haemoglobin Analyser

Dr. M.Christopher from Thirunelveli has developed this device based on his experience as an anaesthetist. He has been able to identify the need for a quick non-invasive (no prick) blood sugar and haemoglobin testing device in long operations involving diabetic and anemic patients. His device is quick (compared to the 20 minutes needed now), accurate and is expected to be a useful technology in surgery.
 

Mr. R. Sivasaravanan is a mechanical engineer and design consultant based in Chennai. He has developed a novel approach to increase the performance of IC engines through an innovative design of the connecting rod and geared drive mechanism. His innovation generates trapezoidal piston velocity variation instead of current sinusoidal pattern. This innovation has a potential for creating impact through fuel savings in auto industry.

Headed by Mr. P. Mukundan, Servals is a Chennai-based company that focuses on developing and marketing energy-saving innovations that benefit the poor. The company’s Venus energy saving burner is robust, cheap, long lasting and has efficiency of up to 30% more than existing burners. The Plant Oil Stove developed by the company offers users a choice to substitute expensive kerosene with locally available plant oil to the extent of about 25%. This is a boon to rural and low income people. Servals has built a viable business for serving the poor and rural consumers.
 

Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund Ltd.

The Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund (“Aavishkaar”) is a venture fund founded in 2001 to promote development in rural and semi-urban India. Aavishkaar believes entrepreneurs can be a powerful force for development. To this end, the Fund provides micro-equity funding (Rs. 10 Lakhs to Rs. 2 Crore), and operational and strategic support to commercially viable companies increasing income in or providing goods and services to rural or semi-urban India. They have invested in small/medium enterprises in sectors such as energy, health, dairy and IT, leading to the creation of significant societal impact. Mr. Vineet Rai is CEO of Aavishkaar.

M J Prabu

Mr. M. J. Prabu presently writes for the Farmer’s Notebook, a column that has been published by “The Hindu” for nearly 4 decades as a weekly feature. He writes on a wide range of issues that concern agriculture and the allied sectors – horticulture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, floriculture, cultivation, farm equipments, arecanut, bio-fuels, cocoa, coconut, cotton, foodgrains, spices, poultry, tea, technology etc. Mr. Prabu’s articles on these themes provide continued coverage of a wide range of issues, thus creating a space where farmers can gain reliable knowledge about latest developments/practices created in the country’s labs by leading scientists and on the country’s lands, by fellow farmers, with scope for continuing dialogue. This has contributed greatly to the spread of knowledge, know-how, technology, and practices.

Sunjit Bunker Roy

Following an elite education and tenure with a blue chip corporate, Mr. Sanjit ‘Bunker’ Roy left to start his work with the poor. He established the Social Work and Research Centre (SWRC) – better known as the Barefoot College – in Tilonia, a village in Rajasthan, one of India's largest, driest and poorest states. "Barefoot" refers to rural people and the poor. The College focuses on imparting employment generating, modern technological skills to the illiterate and school drop outs in areas such as water engineering, solar power, income generation, medicine and other topics to empower their own communities. Through the College’s work, Mr. Roy has proved how adept India’s masses are with emerging technologies. The organization has trained hundreds of technicians in remote villages in 13 Indian states over the past 30 years through a self-help model that respects local knowledge and capability and promotes local organizations to make community decisions. He is the recipient of several awards like the Schwab Foundation Award, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the German Nuclear Free Future Award and the St. Andrew’s Prize.