A class 8 student from the Zilla Parishad High School in Hanmajipet village of Rajanna-Sircilla district has won accolades for his innovative science model — a paddy-filling machine. The project earned him the all-India third prize at the INSPIRE Awards-Manak (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge) at a function in New Delhi recently.
Ending father’s plight
After the seeing the plight of his father Laxmirajam, who works as a hamali (porter) at the IKP procurement centre and struggles with filling paddy into gunny bags and transporting the huge load on his tender shoulders, Abhishek, approached his guide teacher Venkatesham and shared his idea of designing a model to reduce manual labour in filling and shifting of paddy from marketyards.
Abhishek put together a paddy-filling machine at cost of ₹7,000 with the support of his teachers and displayed it at the district-level INSPIRE science fair and later at the State and national levels.
ZPHS-Hanmajipet headmistress Uma Rani said the machine automatically fills about 40 kg paddy into each bag and can be towed away to its storing place without the involvement of manual labour.
“One paddy filling machine does the work of four labourers and reduces the role of manpower and money,” she said.
The headmistress also said that plans are afoot to secure patent rights for the innovative model which would come into good use for farmers given the shortage of labourers in the agriculture sector.
Cash award from KTR
TRS working president and Sircilla legislator K. Taraka Rama Rao handed a cash reward of ₹1.16 lakh to young innovator Abhishek at the Pragathi Bhavan in Hyderabad on Monday. The class 8 student secured the third prize for his paddy filling machine at the national INSPIRE Awards-Manak.
Mr Rama Rao also directed Telangana State Innovation Cell officials to mentor Abhishek and help patent his innovation and develop it.
Asked about his career ambitions, the teen said he wants to become an IAS officer. Mr. Rama Rao has assured all assistance for his further studies.