Monthly Archives: September 2018

Start-up incubated at IIT-Kanpur blooms at UN

Ankit Agarwal

HelpUsGreen recycles floral waste at temples into a substitute for thermocol

New Delhi :

HelpUsGreen, a start-up incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) was chosen as one of the exceptional young leader projects to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations on Sunday.

HelpUsGreen, founded by a young engineer Ankit Agarwal together with Karan Rastogin three years ago, seeks to convert flowers offered in temples ,which are often thrown away as waste, polluting rivers and other water bodies, into biodegradable substitute to thermocol and fragrant incense sticks.

Agarwal was among the 17 young leaders selected from more than 8,000 youth from over 184 countries at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly currently in session in New York.

HelpUsGreen currently processes around 8.4 tonnes of floral waste from temples and mosques in Uttar Pradesh and converts them into biodegradable packaging material, charcoal-free incense sticks, and natural vermicompost.

According to Agarwal, over 8 million tonnes of flowers are used in different religious places as offerings. These flowers, a symbol of devotion, are subsequently discarded in the rivers like the Ganga, creating havoc in their fragile ecosystems and leach in the groundwater.

The start-up, supported by Tata Trusts through its Social Alpha programme, has developed a patented flower-recycling technology, which not only tackles the monumental temple waste in India, but also provide employment to people.

HelpUsGreen, which has so far recycled over 11,000 tonnes of floral waste, has been able to provide livelihood to 73 manual scavenging families, which now earn six times more than what they did earlier.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Trending Today / by The Hindu Bureau / New Delhi – September 25th, 2018

Retired Uttar Pradesh teacher gives lessons in selfless service

Niranjan is a retired primary school teacher who was felicitated with the President’s award for his outstanding services. He received the award from then President KR Narayanan in 1999.

Niranjan can be spotted on the streets of Lalitpur city in Uttar Pradesh, removing polythene bags from canals | Express

Lucknow :

He seems to be in the grip of an obsession which he finds difficult to resist. Approaching 80, Rupnarayan Niranjan is unstoppable. His fetish for work not only inspires but also leaves one in awe.

Clad in shorts and a vest, Niranjan can be spotted on the streets of Lalitpur city in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, mending a pothole, opening a blocked sewer or even clearing roads and canals by removing polythene bags.

The first impression one gets of the man is that of an ordinary labourer at work, but as soon as the interaction starts, that perception is shattered. His polished language and mannerism bring out the quintessential teacher in him. Niranjan is a retired primary school teacher who was felicitated with the President’s award for his outstanding services. He received the award from then President KR Narayanan in 1999.

But now, after retirement, he begins his day by setting out on his mission with a handcart, broom and shovel, looking for patches on roads that need repairs or streets that can do with some cleaning. The reason he gives for doing such work all day at his age is astonishing.

“As I retired as a primary school teacher, the government pays me pension which comes to `600-700 a day. Hence, it is incumbent on me to offer services in return to the taxpayers who bear the burden of my pension,” says Niranjan, adding that his daily work keeps him physically fit and mentally content. He spends his pension to get the roads repaired and arrange for logistics in the Lalitpur primary school.

After toiling for around five hours in the morning, Niranjan, who is a certified Ayurvedic doctor, treats patients free of cost at his residence in Chowkbagh.

For Niranjan, his father, who was the village head, was a source of inspiration. He grew up seeing him always active and concerned about keeping the village clean.

Niranjan, who shuns the limelight, was a reluctant awardee. When asked to complete the modalities for recommendation for the President’s award for his teaching services, he refused. The then education secretary, LK Pandey, had to visit him and convince him to do the required paperwork, which paved his way to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Teachers’ Day to receive the honour.

He took up the mission of repairing roads when he found that his students in Bazarra village primary school were reluctant to come to school because of the dilapidated roads.

Initially Niranjan requested the authorities to get the roads repaired, but when his pleas fell on deaf ears, he decided to do it himself.

With his own money, he got toilets constructed, an electricity connection provided and arranged for clean drinking water for students in the school.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> The Sunday Standard / by Namita Bajpai / September 23rd, 2018

Winners of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology 2018 announced

Dr Aditi Sen De is the only female winner this year

On the occasion of its foundation day, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has put out the list of recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for 2018.

Every year, several scientists below the age of 45 are selected from various institutions across the country and awarded for their outstanding scientific work in the last five years.

Here is the full list of winners this year in various categories

Category Winner Affiliation

Biological Sciences
Dr Ganesh Nagaraju IISc Bengaluru
Dr Thomas Pucadyil IISER Pune

Chemical Sciences
Dr Rahul Banerjee IISER Kolkata
Dr Swadhin Kumar Mandal IISER Kolkata

Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
Dr Madineni Venkat Ratnam National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Tirupati

Dr Parthasarathi Chakraborty CSIR-NIO, Goa

Engineering Sciences
Dr Amit Agrawal IIT Bombay
Dr Ashwin Anil Gumaste IIT Bombay

Mathematical Sciences
Dr Amit Kumar IIT Delhi
Dr Nitin Saxena IIT Kanpur

Medical Sciences
Dr Ganesan Venkatasubramanian NIMHANS, Bengaluru

Physical Sciences
Dr Aditi Sen De Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad
Dr Ambarish Ghosh IISc Bengaluru

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech / by The Hindu Net Desk / September 26th, 2018