NRDC

National
Meritorious
Invention
Awards 2017

नेशनल रिसर्च डिवेलपमेंट कािपोिे शन

(वैज्ञानिक और औद्योनिक अिु संधाि नवभाि, नवज्ञाि और प्रौद्योनिकी मं त्रालय, भारत सरकार का उद्यम)
National Research Development Corporation
(An Enterprise of DSIR, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India)
 National Research Development Corporation

National Innovation Award 2017

Waterless Chrome Tanning Technology (An Improved Chrome Tanning

Process)
Dr. J. Raghava Rao, Dr. R. Aravindhan, Dr. G.C. Jayakumar, Dr. P. Thanikaivelan, Dr .B. Madhan
and Dr .P. Saravanan of CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Sardar Patel Road, Adyar,
Chennai, have been jointly awarded Rs. 5 Lakh (Rupees Five Lakh only) for the development of,
"Waterless Chrome Tanning Technology (An Improved Chrome Tanning Process)".

CSIR-CLRI has developed a novel Waterless Chrome Tanning Technology to carry out chrome
tanning without adding any water. The inherent water present in the hide/skin matrix is utilized
for tanning thus providing a total solution to chromium emission in the environment. This
technology also brings about the benefits of reduction in water requirement, wastewater
volume, chloride and total dissolved solids load. The quality of leathers thus produced is also
found to be better than the leather produced by the conventional manner.

In this Innovation Basic Chromium Sulphate is offered at elevated pH to commence the tanning
as anionic system. Therefore, the process does not call for pickling and the generation of salt
containing pickling wastewater is averted.

The tanners in all clusters are now enrolling for the adoption of this innovation and nearly 60
leather manufacturers have obtained the license to adopt this technology so far and many
have regularized for their leather production. The development of this technology is a
significant step forward towards proper management of wastewater pollution and creation of a
healthy and safe environment.
 National Research Development Corporation

National Innovation Award 2017

Low Cost Production of Autologous Cultured Skin for Grafting in Life

Threatening Burns
Shri Lakshmana Kumar Yerneni and Shri Rishi Man Chugh of National Institute of Pathology
(ICMR), Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, have been jointly awarded Rs. 5 Lakh (Rupees
Five Lakh only) for the development of, "Low Cost Production of Autologous Cultured Skin for
Grafting in Life Threatening Burns".

Burn Injury is a serious public health problem in India. In India around 7 lakh people suffer
from burn injuries each year. The conventional treatment involves prolonged hospitalization
with several surgical sittings for grafting and corrections.

The Innovation is indigenous development of a method for speedy production of large-scale

epidermal sheets for auto-grafting in burns by using novel mathematical formulations for
efficient induction of controlled growth-arrest in feeder cells. The technique involved collection
of epidermal keratinocyte stem cells from an initial stamp sized biopsy of patient’s own skin.
These cells are stimulated to multiply rapidly in culture flasks that are previously seeded with a
substratum of irradiated murine Swiss 3T3 feeder cells. The flasks are then serially expanded to
produce large quantities of sheets within 3-4 weeks sufficient enough for large area grafting in
the same patient.
Grafting with cultured epidermal autograft (CEA) can reduce length of hospitalization thereby
relieves the overburdened burns centres in India. The development is of immense use in
reducing the mortality rate caused by burns and can significantly improve the survival rate of
patients with burn injuries in India and other developing countries.
 National Research Development Corporation

National Societal Innovation Award 2017

Low Cost Compostable Jute Sanitary Napkin with Natural Jute based
Absorbent
Dr. Uma Sankar Sarma, Dr. Syamal Kanti Chakrabarti, Dr. Sandip Bose, Mr. Amal Chandra
Deka, Mr. Sakshi Gopal Saha and Mr. A. R. Dewan of Indian Jute Industries Research
Association, 17, Taratala Road, Kolkata and Dr. Subrata Gupta of Water Investigation and
Development Department, Khadya Bhavan, Kolkata, have been jointly awarded Rs. 3 Lakh
(Rupees Three Lakh only) for the development of, "Low Cost Compostable Jute Sanitary Napkin
with Natural Jute based Absorbent".
Millions of women in India lack access to sanitary napkins as they are unable to afford the most
basic necessity for a safe menstrual hygiene, a sanitary napkin.

The present innovation is indigenous development of a completely biodegradable, absorbent

core material with good fluid retention property for making a low cost stable sanitary napkin
from a readily available natural renewable source such as jute fibers and jute sticks without the
incorporation of any synthetic super-absorbent polymer.

The manufacturing process is simple and eco-friendly. Jute is beaten under alkali free condition
in presence of an eco-friendly wetting agent, thus eliminating the problem of effluent arising
out of alkaline pulping. The material is further bleached, dried, opened, moulded in to
desirable shape, sterilized and encased in a compostable sheet.

Commercialization of low cost jute sanitary napkins has been initiated and soon the
commercial production will began in the Country to meet the demand. The development of
this low cost stable sanitary napkin is of immense use for the society specifically adolescent
girls and women for maintaining a safe and affordable menstrual hygiene and good health.
 National Research Development Corporation

National Societal Innovation Award 2017

Advanced Electrostatic Spraying Technology for Efficient Spraying of

Agricultural Agrochemicals
Dr. Manoj K. Patel of CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Sector 30 C, Chandigarh
and Dr. C. Ghanshyam of Sanketika Institute of Technology and Management, PM Palem,
Visakhapatnam, have been jointly awarded Rs. 3 Lakh (Rupees Three Lakh only) for the
development of, "Advanced Electrostatic Spraying Technology for Efficient Spraying of
Agricultural Agrochemicals".

An eco-friendly air-assisted electrostatic sprayer has been indigenously designed and developed
for small scale farms to reduce pesticide use and human health risk mainly in rural agricultural
areas.

Electrostatic force field has been exploited for agricultural pesticides spraying to increase the
mass transfer efficiency, bio-efficacy, uniform deposition, maximum canopy coverage to reach
the hidden areas and underside of the target canopy by reducing the drift of active ingredients
of pesticides. It increases pesticide droplet deposition onto the surfaces of crops and orchards
with two-fold of mass-transfer efficiency of active ingredients of pesticides. It can be used for all
the liquid based pesticides spraying with full efficiency.

The technology has been transferred to industries and the product is available in the market.
The development is of immense use in reducing the pesticide use and human health risk mainly
of agricultural labourers and will strengthen the socio-economic conditions of farmers.
 National Research Development Corporation

National Societal Innovation Award 2017

Pole Climber & Tree Climbers

Shri Nannam Thirupatirao of Nannam Industries, 7-32-4 Vaddesangham, Kothapeta,
Vetapalem, Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh has been awarded Rs. 3 Lakh (Rupees Three Lakh only)
for the development of, "Pole Climber & Tree Climbers“.

The innovation is development of an innovative tool for climbing and working conveniently at
heights over long electric poles, pillars, coconut and palm trees. The equipment is simple and
light weight, made of piece of iron rod and PVC slippers, has innovative F shaped design with
protected features.

The weight of total equipment is around 3 kilograms and with stands upto 200 kilograms
weight of a person. It can be used safely during rainy season. A person can comfortably work
on more than 30-40 poles/trees per day with this tool. It can be fitted to any foot size, either
with slippers or shoes without losing grip.

This device is readily available at e-commerce websites and also locally in Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

The development of this device facilitates easy climbing at heights over long electric poles and
pillars and coconut and palm trees and protects the health and occupational safety of
workers.
 National Research Development Corporation

National Budding Innovators Award 2017

Eyerinator
Shri Jyoti Ranjan Sahoo, Student of M.Sc. in Applied Physics, College of Engineering and
Technology, Bhubaneswar, Ghatikia Road, Kalinga Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, has been
awarded Rs. 1 Lakh (Rupees One Lakh only) for the development of, "Eyerinator“.

The Innovation is development of a novel wearable mobility aid for the Visually Impaired
People affected by diseases like Glaucoma, Retinitis Pigmentosa and age-related Macular
Degeneration. The mobility of such Persons is highly restricted due to the limited field of vision.
The device considerably increases the field of view by augmenting the perception of their lived
space through their existing field of vision.

The view is focused by a lens through a color filter array onto an image sensor which converts
incident light into an equivalent electronic signal. The converted electronic output goes
through analog signal processing blocks such as correlated double sampling, automatic gain
control, analog to digital conversion and a significant amount of digital processing for color,
image enhancement, and compression. The video to be captured can get transmitted to the
display, but only after processing of the whole image. The whole image gets modified to the
patients' visual field, and they can get improved visual perception of their surroundings.

The innovation can significantly improve the spatial information (vision) of the People affected
by diseases like Glaucoma, Retinitis Pigmentosa.
 National Research Development Corporation

National Budding Innovators Award 2017

ANIDERS (Animal Intrusion Detection and Repellent System)

Shri Abhay Sharma, Student of B.Tech MAE 3rd Year, Amity University, Sector-125, Noida,
Uttar Pradesh, has been awarded Rs. 1 Lakh (Rupees One Lakh only) for the development of,
"ANIDERS (Animal Intrusion Detection and Repellent System)“.

Conflict between human and animals near the forests is a serious issue. This conflict is a
significant threat to local human populations, wildlife and crops. The innovation is a smart
solution to protect the crops from animal intrusions without causing any harm to the wildlife.
The device detects the animals that have intruded the farmer’s field and scares them away
before they can cause harm to the crops. This device uses the combination of Active Infrared
and Passive Infrared to detect intrusion of any animal in the farms and then it uses the
electrical signal to sound an alarm. The alarm uses a combination of light and sound. The
device is water resistant and portable and solar panel is used to charge the battery. It has
many features such as auto ON/OFF, multiple sound and light patterns and real-time
communication via GSM to make it an effective and safe technology.

The development of this device is of immense use for the Society to protect the crops and
human settlements near the forests from animal intrusions without causing any harm to the
wildlife.
 National Research Development Corporation

National Budding Innovators Award 2017

Drushti
Shri Abhishek Sawant, Shri Abhijeet Prakash, Ms. Aishwarya S, Shri Shreyas Burde, Shri Rajat
Bammigatti and Shri Saikumar Dani, Students of B.E 2nd Year, KLE Technological University,
BVB Campus, Idyanagar, Hubballi, Karnataka, have been jointly awarded Rs. 1 Lakh (Rupees
One Lakh only) for the development of, "Drushti“.

The innovation is a low cost, user friendly, smart blind guidance system, designed to improve
the mobility of blind and visually challenged people. This handy, affordable, self illuminating
stick has many features, includes, 180 degree object sensing, navigation, emergency help,
water sensing, rechargeable battery, non corrosive material and earphone port.

The main component of this system is the ultrasonic sensor which is used to scan a
predetermined area around blind by emitting reflecting waves. The reflected signals received
from the barrier objects are used as inputs to PIC microcontroller. The cane has a detection
range of 1.8 meters indoors and 3 meters outdoors. It has different vibratory patterns for
different detection. The cane also indicates battery status, sensor failure, and vibrator failure
through voice feedback.

The innovation can significantly improve the mobility of the blind and visually challenged
people to navigate alone safely.
 National Research Development Corporation

National Budding Innovators Award 2017

Development of FRP Repair Methodologies for Corroded and Leaking

Steel Pipelines
Shri P. Nitheesh Kumar, Student of B.Tech 3rd Year and Shri Vikas Sharma, Student of M.Tech
2nd Year, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Odisha, have been jointly awarded Rs.
1 Lakh (Rupees One Lakh only) for the , "Development of FRP Repair Methodologies for
Corroded and Leaking Steel Pipelines“.

Pipeline corrosion is a major challenge facing many oil and gas industries these days. The
conventional method of repairing involves cutting out the damaged portion and replacing it
with a new metallic sleeve or inserting a sleeve of higher diameter above the existing
damaged portion of the pipe, which is time consuming and laborious.

The innovation is development of a Fibre Reinforced Composite overwrap technique to repair

corroded and leaking defects in oil and gas pipelines. A rapid curing epoxy resin has been
developed incorporating micro and nano scale silica fillers. A curing time of less than 20
minutes has been achieved which enables the quick sealing of leaking defects. The
mechanical properties crucial for the performance of cured epoxy resin is also taken into
consideration while development. The repair method involves sealing of the defect with
developed paste material followed by Fiber Reinforced Composite Overwrap.
 National Research Development Corporation

NRDC Prize Award Activity:

Invention Promotion Board (IPB) was established in 1960 by the Government of India with a
view to inculcate the spirit of inventiveness in the Country by assisting and encouraging
individual inventors by giving them awards for meritorious inventions and providing financial
assistance to develop promising ideas into practical shape, publishing S&T magazines and
providing patent assistance, was merged with the National Research Development Corporation
in 1973. Since then the Corporation has been carrying out these promotional activities, which
are being supported by our Administrative Ministry, Department of Scientific and Industrial
Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi.

The prize awards were earlier awarded twice in a year, i.e., on Republic Day and Independence
Day which continued till January 1999. Thereafter, from the year 1999 till 2005, the awards
were announced and awarded on the occasion of Technology Day celebrated on 11th of May
every year. From last few years, the awards are being conferred annually by NRDC. The Prize
award amount is exempted from income tax. The NRDC Awards were renamed as NRDC
National Meritorious Invention Awards from the year 2017.

The Prize Awards are being awarded under the following three categories:

A. NRDC National Innovation B. NRDC National Societal C. NRDC National Budding

Award Innovation Award Innovators Award

• Shall be patented/patent • Successfully translated into • Student registered for

filed
• Not older than five years
• Substantially developed to
prove techno economic
viability and Industrial
applicability
Number of Awards: 2 (Max.)
Amount of Award (Rs. 5 lakh
each)
practice with recognizable Bachelors or Masters
impact on society Degree Program
• Field of Area considered – • Maximum age limit is 28
Agriculture, Environment, Years
Rural Milieu, Energy • The application should be
forwarded through Head of
Number of Awards: 3 (Max.) the Institution
Amount of Award (Rs. 3 lakh Number of Awards: 5 (Max.)
each) Amount of Award (Rs. 1 lakh
each)
 National Research Development Corporation
NRDC - An Introduction
National Research Development Corporation, an enterprise of Department of Scientific and
Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India was established in
1953, with the mandate of development, promotion and transfer of technologies emanating
from various national academic and R&D institutions. The Corporation has been offering
comprehensive services in improving the manufacturing base in India with innovative
technologies and acts as an effective catalytic translating innovative research into marketable
industrial products. During its operation for nearly six decades, the Corporation has forged
strong links with various R&D organizations in the country as well as from abroad and pursued
the worthy cause of bringing inventions to fruitions. The Corporation is now recognized as a
large repository of wide range of technologies spread over almost all areas of industries, viz.,
Agriculture, Horticulture, Sericulture, Chemicals and Pesticides, Drugs and Pharmaceuticals,
Bio-technology, Metallurgy, Electronics and Instrumentation, Building Materials, Mechanical,
etc. It has licensed indigenous technologies to over 4800 entrepreneurs and helped to establish
over 2500 small and medium scale industries.
The Corporation being a Section 8 company has responsibilities of carrying out both
promotional and commercial activities. The two major promotional programmes being carried
out by NRDC are:
Programme for Inspiring Inventors & Innovators (PIII) of NRDC endeavors to stimulate the spirit
of invention and innovation among scientific and R&D personnel from academia, research
institutes and industries and also craftsmen, artisans and the emerging budding scientific
community. In order to harness their creative talent for the benefit of the nation, NRDC gives
Cash Awards and Certificates of Merit.
Programme for Development of Technology Commercialization (PDTC) of NRDC is promoting
technologies with critical value additions for successful commercialization, facilitating export of
Indian technologies by executing turnkey projects abroad. It is further dedicated to undertake
technology development programme on the basis of market potential, technology supply
considerations and export potential.

For further information please contact:

Dr H Purushotham
Chairman & Managing Director
National Research Development Corporation
20-22, Zamroodpur Community Centre, Kailash Colony Extension,
New Delhi, 110048
Phone: +91-11-29240401-08
Fax: +91-11-29240409-10
E-mail: write2@nrdc.in, cmdnrdc@nrdc.in
Website: http://www.nrdcindia.com/