MANGALURU: It was a dream come true for Rakeshkrishna K, 16, IPUC (PCME) student, Expert Pre-University College, Valachil, as he interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. He is one among the 32 Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awardees.
He has been selected for his innovation- Seedographer- a multipurpose sowing machine.
He told the PM about his interest in innovation and how this prototype would help the farmers. The PM thanked his parents for keeping their son connected to farming. Modern agriculture is the need, and I am happy that at this age you are understanding the problems, PM said.
After an interaction, deputy commissioner, Dr K V Rajendra felicitated the boy.
Later, Rakeshkrishna told reporters that hailing from an agricultural family, helped him understand farmers’ problems. “I want to contribute to the welfare of farmers through science and innovation. My inspiration and guide is my sister Rashmi Parvathi, a PhD student at Max Planck Institute, Germany, She was an international grand gold award winner in INSEF and ISWEEP.
The prototype Seedographer works manually. Prepared from iron sheets and weighing about 18-20 kgs, as the farmer drags the machine, it creates a path and since a funnel is placed on the top and seeds stored in it are sown systematically. Water is supplied, due to which moisture increases the germination success rate. A small amount of fertiliser can also be added. There is a plate at the end, that covers the soil with mud after sowing. One can sow any seed from ragi to chana, he said.
The project was conceptualised when he was in class six “I have tested this multiple times in my field. If a single person takes an average 100-120 hours to sow the seeds on a 2.5-acre land, by using this machine, it can be done in less than 15 hours. If the lanes are increased, sowing can be completed in a day. It saves time, money and resources, “ he said.
I aim to develop various systems for unified farming. The multipurpose machine can be used for dry sowing and was appreciated by farmers from Rajasthan and UP during the Festival of Innovation held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2017. The cost of the machine will be an approximate Rs 4000-8,000.
He would like to develop the automated version of the machine fitted with solar panels and useful for soil testing. He has worked on several other projects and is currently working on a 3D-analytical colour projection system.
“It has been a wonderful experience to interact with the PM. Unfortunately, due to covid, it was conducted virtually. I hope to meet the PM soon,” he said.
The pandemic was a blessing in disguise as he could focus on project work. He is the son of Ravishankar K, an engineer turned agriculturist and Durgarathna C, head, Hindi department, Vivekananda College, Puttur. He has participated in various national and international fests, secured the seventh rank in SSLC exams and is learning classical music and mridangam and Karate.
Chief minister BS Yediyurappa has also appreciated the boy’s effort through a tweet.