Monthly Archives: July 2017

Two ex-IIT-BHU students develop reverse osmosis-based water purifier

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

Kanpur :

Concerned over wastage of water from the RO water systems, two ex-students of IIT-BHU were successful in developing cost and energy efficient water purifier called ‘Aquvio’.

The patentable technology was developed two years ago.

In Aquvio’s cost and energy saving Reverse Osmosis-based water purifier, only 30% of water is rejected and 70% is available for drinking purposes. Recognising the potential of Aquvio, IIT-Kanpur granted a seed funding of Rs 20 lakh to the company run by these ex-IIT-BHU students.

The duo–Naveen Kumar and Rohit Kumar Mittal–who had developed Aquvio in just two years, were successful in getting 60 Aquvio water purifiers installed across schools and colleges in Varanasi. Four such water purifiers were also installed at an Army unit in the holy city. With fresh round of funding, Naveen and Rohit are hopeful that they will be able to take forward their mission of saving water. In the last one year, Aquvio managed to save one crore litre of water.

Talking to TOI over phone, Naveen, who passed out from IIT-BHU in 2014 said, “Aquvio’s water filters significantly reduce the amount of water wasted as compared to modern RO water systems. In water purifiers available in the market, 70% of the water is drained out, which is nothing but a wastage in the current scenario of water crisis in our country. In Aquvio’s cost and energy saving Reverse Osmosis-based water purifier, only 30% of the water is rejected and 70% is available for drinking purpose. Aquvio water purifiers also consume less power”.

Naveen said that while the first water purifier was developed and launched in the market in August 2015 after eight months of research, 60 products have been installed in different schools and colleges in Varanasi. “The technology used in Aquvio has already been patented. This patented technology only ensures that out of four litre of water only one litre gets drained and the remaining water is available for drinking purpose. It significantly helps in saving water”, he further said.

Aquvio has two water purifiers that can filter huge quantities of water (100 litre per hour and 50 litre per hour) and are fit for use in corporate offices or schools/colleges.

When asked about the cost of a single piece of Aquvio, Naveen replied that Aquvio, dispensing 50 litre of water per hour costs Rs 50,000. “We are in the mode of expansion. At present our company is based in Malviya centre in IIT-BHU but soon we will have a manufacturing unit out of the institute campus. We shall base ourselves somewhere in Delhi/NCR. At present 16 full time employees are working in our company”, said Naveen while talking about the expansion plans of his start-up. He said that he had accepted the job offer from a company during the campus placement drive but he did not join and after completing his BTech in 2014 he started with his water purification project.

“The fact that Aquvio purifiers are cost and energy efficient as well as helping in water conservation is what aligns the start-up with the aim of the INVENT programme, under which SIIC (SIDBI Innovation and Incubation Centre) has funded the company. IIT-Kanpur has granted a seed funding of Rs 20 lakh to a cost and energy efficient water purifier start-up called Aquvio (iMinbit Technologies Pvt. Ltd.), based in Varanasi”, said Prof Sameer Khandekar, associate dean, Innovation and Incubation, IIT-Kanpur.

“We are excited to welcome Aquvio into IIT Kanpur’s social incubation programme which has seen rapid growth over the last six months. With a majority of India’s cities and towns reeling under water crisis, Aquvio’s water-saving ROtechnology not only reduces water wastage but also provides sustainable potable water to the underprivileged communities,” said Prof Khandekar.

Aquvio has been recognised by Startup India Standup India, a Government of India initiative, Naveen said.
INVENT is a collaboration between the Technology Development Board, Government of India and the Department for International Development, Government of the United Kingdom.

As on June 30, IIT-Kanpur has received the highest number of incubation applications approved among the three other INVENT incubators in the country. The institute’s INVENT programme has been operational since August 2016 and has so far funded nine social enterprises.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Kanpur News / by Abhinav Malhotra / TNN / July 14th, 2017

Women to get 2 new birth control options today

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Science & Technology

Lucknow :

Contraceptive created by city-based Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) will get national launch when it is made available in government hospitals on World Population Day on Tuesday.

Earlier known as Saheli, the oral contraceptive has been renamed Chhaya and is a non-hormonal (no effect on hormonal milieu of the body) pill that will now be freely available in all government hospitals.

Another contraceptive, an injectable variant Antara will also be launched the same day by state minister for women, child and family welfare, Rita Bahuguna Joshi at Veerangana Avanti Bai hospital.

The two contraceptives launched by the government sector will give women additional options, especially during their postpartum period and in the lactation stage.

Organising a programme for the launch at King George’s Medical University (KGMU) that will be held later in the day, Dr Vinita Das, head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department said, “There was huge demand for contraceptives in these two stages when women are highly vulnerable but can also be counselled. The rate of institutional deliveries and contraceptive acceptance has increased and the government has also changed its policy from permanent contraception to giving ideal space between children.”

Informing about the benefits of Antara and Chhaya, Das said, “Antara is a three-monthly injectable, safe and highly effective way for contraception in lactating mothers and fertility returns within six to eight months of stopping the injection. Chhaya, on the other hand, is the only non-hormonal contraceptive, to be taken initially twice weekly for three months and then once a week till contraception is desired and it can be stopped whenever a woman wants to conceive.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Kanpur News / TNN / July 12th, 2017

Cell to innovate, incubate young entrepreneurs

Business & Economy, Records, All

Lucknow :

A provision of Rs 5-crore for setting up incubators in Lucknow is a first in UP budget, say experts. It’s probably for the first time that that the government has focussed on entrepreneurial development in the state. UP never had an incubation centre or cell beyond institutions like IIT, Kanpur or IIM, Lucknow .

“It will turn students into employers and not employment-seekers,” says Prof Manish Gaur, founder director, Institute of Advanced Studies, APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, and a member of the innovation and incubation cell. In UP, since students do not have the money for start-ups, they mostly hunt for jobs. That’s where the role of incubation cell becomes important.

These cells are meant to support under-graduate and post-graduate students willing to set up industrial units or a start-ups. They provide a conducive environment to students as far as designing the product, finding the market and addressing legal issues is concerned.

Once the start-up or the industrial unit becomes matured and strong enough to be a stand-alone set up, the entrepreneur can migrate. The incubation cells can be set up in universities or private institutes which are matured enough to provide the support an incubation cell.

Industrial Investment and Employment Promotion Policy 2017 emphasises on promoting start-ups by reducing regulatory burden on them; creating venture capital fund; setting up incubation centres to connect start-ups with resources for running their businesses and connect them to network of experts and opening up incubation centres in government and private engineering colleges, management institutes and other technical organizations.

“But government should guard against start-ups migrating to other states once matured,” the professor adds.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / July 12th, 2017