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Progress Report

RuTAG Centre at IIT Delhi Developing Demand

Driven Technology for Rural Areas

(April 01, 2019 – March 31, 2020)

By

Prof. Subir Kumar Saha (P.I.), ME

Prof. M. R. Ravi (Co. P.I.), ME

Prof. S. Kohli (Co. P.I.), ME

Department of Mechanical Engineering

IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas

New Delhi 110 016

Tel: (011) 2659 1135; 1385 Fax: (011) 2659 7359

Email: saha@mech.iitd.ac.in

May 17, 2020

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Abstract

This report discusses the projects approved by PSA under project titled “RuTAG Centre IIT

Delhi Developing Demand Driven Technology for Rural Areas” (Phase-II). Some ongoing

work of Phase-I have been carried forwarded in Phase-II. Ongoing, and new projects have been

briefly described. Details of the workshops conducted and proposed have also been given in

this report. RuTAG IIT Delhi published 9th edition of newsletter which has covered most of the

on-going activities at all RuTAG centers in seven IIT’s during 2019-20. To encourage the

participation of IIT Delhi student and faculty, orientation and felicitation programme will be

organized. RuTAG Club IIT Delhi participated in ‘Tour of Stalls’ orientation program on July

27-28, 2019. The aim was to sensitise the new students joining IIT Delhi about the activities

of RuTAG Club, IIT Delhi.

Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely acknowledge the support from the Office of the Principal Scientific

Advisor to the Government of India and especially to Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan, Principal

Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Govt. of India and Dr. Ketaki Bapat, Scientist ‘F’ with whom

we interacted on a regular basis. The encouragements from the Chairman Core group of

RuTAG IIT Delhi Prof. R. R. Gaur are highly appreciable. Other significant contributors

include Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta (Sr. Project Assistant), Mr. Davinder Pal Singh (Project

Associate), Mr. Suraj Bhat (Research Scholar), Mr. Yashwant Prasad (Research Scholar), Mr.

Ashish (Jr. Project Assistant), Mr. Mangal Sharma (Jr. Project Attendant), and many more B.

Tech. and M. Tech. students of RuTAG Club, IIT Delhi by their contributions in the project.

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Contents

Abstract 2

Acknowledgement 2

1. Projects of RuTAG IIT Delhi during April 01, 2019 – March 31, 2020 5

1.1 Projects in the Financial Year 2018 – 2019 and 2019 – 2020 5

1.2 New Projects likely to be taken up 7

2. Summary of Projects in the Financial Year 2018 – 19 and 2019 – 20 9

2.1 On-going Projects 9

2.1.1 Improvement in Furnace Design and Working Conditions of Artisan for Making

Bangles (Phase-II) 9

2.1.2 Design of an LPG fired Pottery Kiln for the Pottery Cluster at Khurrampur,

Haryana 12

2.1.3 Adaptation of Sheep Hair Shearing Machine Developed by IIT Delhi (Phase-III) 18

2.1.4 Fabrication of Tree Climbing Device for Safe and Convenient climbing of

Coconut Trees, Palakad, Kerala 22

2.1.5 Development of More Ergonomic and Efficient Street Sizing System for

Chirala Handloom Cluster 26

2.1.6 Proposal for Designing of Vertical Vermicomposting Unit for Mata Vaishno

Devi, Katra Jammu and Kashmir 30

2.1.7 Dissemination of Improved Metallic Carpet Looms Developed by IIT Delhi for

Carpet Weavers at Jaipur, Rajasthan 35

2.1.8 Design Improvement of Tulsi Mala Making Device for Bigger Beads 40

2.1.9 Design Improvement and Fabrication of New Model Charkha (NMC) 43

2.1.10 Prevention of Stone Dust Inhalation for Stone Carvers at Bharatpur, Rajasthan 46

2.1.11 Truncated Unglazed Percolative Clay Ceramic Ware as a Modified Pitcher

Irrigation System 48

2.1.12 Proposal for Improvement in the Batasha Making Process Phase-II 53

2.1.13 Improvement in Bhilawa Seed Decortication Process 57

3. Follow-up Projects after Completion 62

3.1 A Device for Making Tulsi Mala Beads 62

3.1.1 Status after Completion 62

3.1.2 Increased in Sales of Device after Modifications 62

3.1.3 Buy RuTAG IIT Delhi products through FITT 64

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4. Reporting 65

4.1 Workshop Organised during April 01, 2019 – March 31, 2019 65

4.1.1 RuTAG IIT Delhi Regional workshop conducted on June 03, 2019 at Khamir,

Gujarat. 65

4.1.2 RuTAG IIT Delhi Regional workshop conducted on December 16, 2019 at Mathura

Uttar Pradesh 67

4.1.3 RuTAG Management Development Programme at IIT Delhi during October 2-4,

2019 (In association with IIT Kharagpur) 69

4.1.4 RuTAG Workshop held on August 11, 2019 as a part of Tech4Seva 2019 70

5. Field visits during Financial Year 2019 – 2020 (April 01, 2019 – March 31, 2020) 72

6. Other Salient Activities during Financial Year 2019 – 2020 (April 01, 2019 –

March 31, 2020) 75

6.1 Logo of Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) IIT Delhi 75

6.2 A Compendium on Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) of 52 Technologies

from 7 IITs 76

6.3 Rural Technology Development and Delivery Conference Proceedings

published by Springer 76

6.4 Rural Innovative Techno-hunt: A Technical Challenge to Identify Rural Problems

and Suggest Solutions - Organized by RuTAG IIT Delhi 77

6.5 RuTAG IIT Delhi published Newsletter by annually 77

6.6 RuTAG Technologies Displayed in Open House at IIT Delhi on April 20, 2019 77

6.7 RuTAG Club IIT Delhi participated in ‘Tour of Stalls’ on July 27-28, 2019 78

6.8 RuTAG IIT Delhi demonstrated of its technologies in Tech4Seva at LHC, IIT Delhi

campus during August 10 – 12, 2019 78

6.9 RuTAG Club Orientation and Felicitation programme was held at LHC, IIT Delhi

on August 30, 2019 78

6.10 RuTAG IIT Delhi presented posters of its technologies in Industry Day at IIT Delhi

campus on September 21, 2019 78

6.11 RuTAG IIT Delhi team attended 2nd International Conference on "Rural

Technology Development and Delivery" (RTDD-2020) was held on March 12-14,

2020 at IIT Madras. 79

7. RuTAG IIT Delhi’s Collaboration with Purdue’s EPICS Programme 79

8. Internship at RuTAG IIT Delhi 80

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1. Projects of RuTAG IIT Delhi during April 01, 2019 – March 31, 2020

1.1 Projects in the Financial Year 2018 – 2019 and 2019 – 2020

Sl.

No.

Project Title Year of

Approval

(Duration)

Status Remarks

1. Improvement in

Furnace Design

and Working

Conditions of

Artisan for

Making Bangles

(Phase-II)

01/10/18

(One Year)

Ongoing The modifications are in progress as per the

design-decisions taken after trials of two

improved furnace for six months at Unch

village. The most reliable cluster have

extended help by providing space and

completed civil work as suggested by

RuTAG team for the installation of the

furnace. Lupin foundation have been

managing logistics, materials etc., for

construction at site at Unch village and also

convincing artisans at another village to

install new furnace through Gram

Panchayat.

1. Design of an

LPG-fired Pottery

Kiln for the

Pottery Cluster at

Khurrampur,

Haryana

01/10/2018

(One Year)

Closed The furnace has been vandalized to such an

extent that it cannot be repaired.

3. Adaptation of

Sheep hair

shearing machine

developed by IIT

Delhi [Phase-III]

01/10/2018

(6 months)

Ongoing The modified device has been tested at two

locations. Identified vendor have

successfully developed the device and

samples are ready for testing in the field.

4. Fabrication of

Tree Climbing

Device for Safe

and Convenient

climbing of

Coconut Trees,

Palakad, Kerala

01/03/2019

(One Year)

Ongoing The problems associated with the developed

device at IIT Delhi during the trial at Kerala

were observed and analysis of the said device is

under process. Soon it will be modified

fabricated and retested with the help of the NGO

at location.

5. Development of

More Ergonomic

and Efficient

Street Sizing

System for

Chirala

Handloom

Cluster

01/01/2019

(One Year)

Ongoing Several iterations have been made to initial

design as per sizers’ feedback and the process of

product. The final model contains improved

brushing action. CAD model of new drive

mechanism/ Street sizing machine has been

completed with engineering drawing, and

fabrication is under progress. Manufacturing of

following parts of the street sizing machine have

been completed i.e. base structure frame, yarn

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wrapping octagonal frame, rubber roller,

solution tank, guide roller etc.

6. Proposal for

Designing of

Vertical

Vermicomposting

Unit for Mata

Vaishno Devi

Katra

01/06/2019

(One Year)

Ongoing A CAD model of Vertical Vermicomposting

and assembly drawing of Vertical

Vermicomposting Setup is under progress after

narrowing down the design requirements as per

the feedback and will be finalised for

manufactured soon.

7. Dissemination of

Improved

Metallic Carpet

Looms

Developed by IIT

Delhi for Carpet

Weavers at

Jaipur, Rajasthan

01/10/2018

(06 Months)

Ongoing Three looms have been manufactured and sent

three different locations such as one at

RCWPDS, Jaipur, Rajasthan, another one is at

Mpr. Jitendra Bonal, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand

and one at Chirala, Andhra Pradesh.

8. Design

Improvement of

Tulsi Mala

Making Device

for bigger beads

01/03/2019 ( 06 Months)

Ongoing New model to produce bigger size beads has

been designed, fabricated. Prototypes

distributed in various villages in Rajasthan and

UP for feedback. Modifications have been

incorporated as per the feedback received.

9. Design

Improvement and

Fabrication of

New Model

Charkha (NMC)

01/03/2019 ( 06 Months)

Ongoing To avoid the brakeage of threads an RPM meter

has been attached to the new model charkha so

that user can operate the machine at optimum

speed. A CAD model of Table with Sitting

Arrangement for New Model Charkha and

assembly drawing of Table with Sitting

Arrangement for New Model Charkha is under

progress and will be fabricated soon after the

finalization of the design.

10. Prevention of

stone dust

inhalation for

stone carvers at

Bharatpur,

Rajasthan

01/01/2019 ( One Year)

Ongoing Two designs were thought of to address the

problem of stone dust inhalation after visiting

the cluster and observing the problems faced by

labourers working in stone quarry and marble

carving units. A portable glove hood, and a

suction system. The advantages of this system

are many: the system is versatile, cheap, and

portable. The system has been developed and

tested successfully at IIT Delhi. The use of

ventilation hood has been found to be effective

in reducing the particulate concentration at the

stone carver’s inhalation level considerably.

However, the field-testing of the setup is still

pending. The prototype of the suction system

was developed and tested at IIT Delhi.

11. Truncated

Unglazed

01/07/2019

(9 Months)

Ongoing The objectives of the project have been

achieved by re-introduce the Pitcher irrigation

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Percolative Clay

Ceramic Ware as

a Modified

Pitcher Irrigation

System

or Matka Irrigation in arid Western Rajasthan,

and along with modified sub-surface irrigation

by changing shape of the pitcher and

introducing mechanization to produce it. A

considerable reduction in water usage have been

observed. The system is currently under testing

at Gelabaas Village, Rudiya Village, Banad

Village, IIT Jodhpur Experimental campus, and

Salawas village in Jodhpur.

12. Improvement in

the Batasha

Making Process

Phase-II

01/12/2019 ( One Year)

Ongoing Units of improved hygienic Batasha making

process developed during phase-I were installed

and tested at various place near Greater Noida

and Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Suggestions and

observations were noted and changes have been

implemented. Recently one unit of improved

adjustable table has been sent to Kolkata for

testing and feedback.

13. Improvement in

Bhilawa Seed

Decortication

Process

01/12/2019 ( One Year)

Ongoing Two design ideas have been shortlisted after

visiting the village in M.P. The existing

decortication machines are under review

considering the hazardous nature of the fruit.

Therefore safe operation of the device without

any exposure and human contact will be the

objective of the project.

14. Follow-up

Projects after

Completion:

a. Tulsi Mala

making Device

b.Treadle Pump

c. Bullock Driven

Tractor

d.Animal Driven

Prime Mover

01/10/2018

Follow-up

after

Completion

The products were sell through FITT as follows:

a. Tulsi mala making device – 10

b. Treadle Pump – 02

c. Bullock Driven Tractor – 01

d. Animal Driven Prime Mover - 01

1.2 New Projects likely to be taken up

1. Carding Machine ● Carding machine manufacturers have been

identified across the country who can support

us in fabricating suggested design.

● A questionnaire to understand the requirements

of carding machine in Kutch have been

prepared and shared with Khamir (field

partner).

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● A field visit has been planned to collect

relevant data related to carding machine design

and development.

2. Tawa Making Process

● The samples of tawa received from tawa cluster

were baked in a controlled muffle furnace from

room temperature to 800° C as per defined

temperature profile.

● Field visit has been planned to collect

temperature history of existing tawa making

furnace and process.

● Customised K-type thermocouples as per the

span of the existing furnace have been

fabricated for measuring temperature at

different positions of the open furnace during

firing.

3. Sheep Wool Applications

● It has been decided that RuTAG IIT Delhi will

support in testing the properties of sheep wool

as and when required by Hunnarshala

Foundation

● Hunnarshala will provide funding for the

testing

4. Yamunotri Palki

● After the field visit, a report was shared with

the CDO of Uttarkashi. It was decided that IIT

Bombay will help in designing the new Palki

because of their prior experience with the Katra

Palki project. RuTAG IIT Delhi was to analyse

the structural design aspects of the concept.

● The same was conveyed to CDO via email and

telephonic conversations. However despite

repeated reminders, there was no response and

the project had to be closed.

5. Improving the furnace used in coating

copper bell for coating multiple bells at

a time.

Project under consideration.

6. Design improvement of potters kiln at

Bhuj

Project under consideration.

7. Developing Wax Removing

Technology

Project under consideration.

8. Block making Technology for Printing

on Clothes.

Project under consideration.

9. Improving efficiency/technology for

the glass furnace.

Project under consideration.

10. Validation of properties of recycled

and reused wood, bamboo, etc. which

are used for construction purposes.

Project under consideration.

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2. Summary of Projects in the Financial Year 2018 – 19 and 2019 – 20

2.1 On-going Projects

2.1.1 Improvement in Furnace Design and Working Conditions of Artisan for Making

Bangles (Phase-II).

a) Principal Investigator: Prof. Sangeeta Kohli

b) Co-Principal Investigator (Furnace Design): Prof. M. R. Ravi

c) Co-Principal Investigator (Tools and Seating Design): Prof. S. K. Saha

d) Duration of Project: One Year

e) Project Commenced: 01/10/2018

f) Status: On-going

g) NGO partner: Lupin Foundation,

Bharatpur, Rajasthan

Summary:

During the Phase-I of the project entitled “Improvement in Furnace Design and Working

Conditions for Making Bangles”. Lupin Foundation, an NGO, expressed the need to improve

a traditional bangle-making furnace which is highly polluting and inefficient. RuTAG IIT Delhi

did various interventions for developing, fabricating and installing furnaces with improved

design, a better seating arrangement along with some modification in molding tools which

helped in providing better working conditions for the artisans. Two improved furnaces with

different designs were installed at two sites in Unch village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.

Lupin Foundation contributed in the logistics as well as civil work required in erecting a shed

and the ergonomically designed working platform/space.

Considering deliverable for the phase-I of the said project, three sets of problems faced by the

artisans in Bharatpur were addressed and solutions were proposed. Two modified furnaces have

been developed, installed in the village. 74% saving of fuel was recorded in both the furnaces.

Substantial reduction in emissions in the workspace due to the flue gases leaving through the

chimney and reduction in workspace temperature due to the insulated furnace were also

recorded. Thus, the improved furnace has resulted in substantial improvement in their working

environment.

Subsequently, while testing the prototypes in the field, artisans of both the groups were happy

with the usage of the furnaces. Eventually after the period of four months, one of the group

stopped using the furnace. After discussion, field agency and RuTAG team agreed to their

demand for the provision of the free raw material (glass) to sustain their testing for few months.

Nevertheless, the group started the work. However, the work continued till the stock of the free

raw material lasted and the furnace was left abandoned afterwards. However, the second group

used the furnace seamlessly without conducting regular maintenance and repairing in such a

manner that despite warnings raised by the RuTAG team to stop the work until the replacement

of the damaged parts, their continuous usage caused the furnace to collapse.

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In the backdrop of the village politics along with the resistance of the artisans in accepting the

developed technology and during the testing of the technology following are the observation:

1. Industrial insulation of a brand/supplier could not sustain the inside temperature of the

furnace (as claimed and specified by the said supplier) during the field trials, which

eventually got damaged within few months of the trial

2. The clay core in one of the furnace developed cracks due to cyclic thermal stress much

earlier than expected.

3. Base of the furnace which comprises two layers of the alumina board underperformed

and got damaged much earlier than expected as per the specification provided by the

refractory manufacturer.

4. The M S attachment used to hold the baffle failed number of time and it was later

replaced with the refractory grade stainless steel.

5. Though no loss of the productivity was observed.

After observing the trail data of the furnace, the objectives of the phase-II

are listed as follows:

1. Core of the furnace will be constructed using refractory castable instead of clay.

2. Mild Steel (MS) molds will be fabricated to cast the core of the furnace.

3. Industrial insulation having higher temperature bearing capacity will be used.

4. Ceramic board used in the base of the furnace will be replaced the refractory bricks

5. Refractory grade stainless steel will be used to fabricate baffle for the furnace

Fabrication methods for the said molds have been laid after thoroughly observing the viability

of manufacturing. Vendor are selected according to their capacity and ability to manufacture.

A dish-end fabrication process have been followed to achieve the dimensional tolerance and

cost effectiveness of the said molds. The CAD model of molds is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 CAD models of Molds

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The fabrication of the mold was divided into three parts neck (Fig. 2), dish-end and base ring

(Fig. 3)

Fig. 2 Mold parts neck Fig. 3 Dish-end and Base ring

Similarly, the castable and the required thickness of the shell (Fig. 4) have been calculated

and optimised as per the existing clay structure and the trial data available. Mold is casted

(Fig. 5) and industrial insulation will be fixed on inner and outer surface soon.

Fig. 4 Castable and the required thickness of the shell

Present Status:

The modifications are in progress as per the design-decisions taken after trials of two improved

furnace for six months at Unch village. The most reliable cluster at the village have extended

help by providing space for civil work as suggested by RuTAG team for the installation of the

new furnace. Lupin foundation have been managing logistics, materials etc., for construction

site at Unch village and also sensetising artisans at another village to install new furnace with

the help from gram panchayat. The necesscary construction at site has been completed. Other

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parts of furnace such as customised boom for lifting casted frunace due to its weight and

fragility have been fabricated. The other components required have been identifed and will be

procured after the lockdown period is over and once life gets back to normal. Furnace will be

assembled at IIT Delhi and transported to village for installation.

Fig. 5 Actual Casted Mold ready installation

2.1.2 Design of an LPG fired Pottery Kiln for the Pottery Cluster at Khurrampur,

Haryana

a) Principal Investigator: Prof. M. R. Ravi

b) Co-Principal Investigator: Prof. Sangeeta Kohli

c) Duration of Project: One Year

d) Project Commenced: October 01, 2018

e) Status: Closed

g) NGO partner: Khurrampur Village

Panchyat and District

Administration, Gurgaon,

Haryana

Project Summary:

Village Khurrampur is a highly backward village with bulk of its population constituted by

Backward and Scheduled castes. It has about 20-25 families of potters, who belong to OBC

communities of Haryana. IIT Delhi has adopted this village for development under the Unnat

Bharat Abhiyan of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. In the process of

preparation of the Village Development Plan, during the survey of the demographics and

occupations of the village, the requirements of the Prajapat (Potters) community came to the

fore.

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The primary difficulty they have is availability of clay for their work. Since most of them are

landless, to obtain clay for their work, they need to go far and wide, or purchase cartloads from

landowners on whose land clay fit for pottery use is available. The second major difficulty is

that the process of firing is extremely polluting with thick black smoke emanating from their

kilns, owing to which other villagers object to the kilns being fired. Since the income from the

profession has also dwindled, the younger generation of the community has preferred not to

continue this profession and are looking for other sources of livelihood.

Therefore it was proposed to develop an LPG fired furnace for use by these potters so that the

furnace is more efficient and less polluting. It would also aim at training the local potters in

craft that would fetch them better income, by diversifying into more value-added products in

addition to the traditional pottery and diyas they normally make.

6. Preliminary Investigation and Problem Identification:

Two options were available for RuTAG to technologically intervene in this situation. One is

to design a furnace which can be fired using a clean fuel such as LPG or Piped natural gas,

depending on availability of these fuels to the potters in the colony. A second is to design a

gas furnace, but fire is using producer gas, made from the same powdery biomass fuel presently

being used by the potters. The latter has a limitation, since there are no mature technologies of

gasification of powdery biomass available, and it also involves addition of extra hardware in

the form of a gasifier in addition to a new kiln. Thus, both in terms of cost and in terms of

technological complexity, the second option suffers from a disadvantage, though the fuel for

this option would be cheaper. Thus, in the first phase of intervention, it is proposed to opt for

the design of an LPG / PNG fired kiln.

From the preliminary interactions, it transpired that the cost of a single firing at present is close

to Rs. 1600-1800, for wares that sell for Rs. 5000-6000. An inspection of the updraught kilns

in use in the area reveals that based on experience of the IIT Delhi team, if a well-insulated,

light-weight kiln is designed, the energy consumption of the kiln could easily be reduced by a

factor of 3-4. As of now, the cost comparison between the powdery biomass and commercial

LPG per unit energy is 1:6. If PNG is used, this ratio decreases to 1:4. This would make the

firing with the new kiln about 50% more expensive with LPG, and comparable to the present

cost with PNG. But given the fact that the new kiln would be capable of firing wares at much

higher temperatures, they could easily diversify into products which can fetch them much

higher returns per firing, such as decorative wares, glazed wares etc.

Thus, it was proposed that in the first phase of the project, a new kiln is designed, tested and a

prototype be installed in the field for use by artisans and their feedback. It should then be

monitored over about 6 months and the teething problems removed. Once the kiln is designed

and a prototype is installed and successfully tested in the field, RuTAG could identify and train

entrepreneurs who could construct the kilns in the field in the second phase of the project.

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Design of New Improved Model:

After the analysis of the energy audit, it was found that the major heat loss was occurring

through the ground and due to the high thermal mass of the kiln. To reduce the thermal mass

of the structure while also ensuring considerable insulation at low cost, the walls of the kiln

were decided to be made using rat trap bond structure. To ensure proper air-fuel ratio for

complete combustion of fuel, a provision for an air channel was also proposed near the fire

mouth.

Keeping in mind the above discussed design considerations, detailed CAD models were made

using SOLIDWORKS software. All the CAD models and parts (Fig. 6 and 7) were made

according to the standards to ensure the feasibility of the designs for construction.

A cuboidal cross-draught arrangement kiln with composite walls consisting of both thin layer

of insulation boards and bricks arranged in rat trap structure. Provision of two burners provided

on one side of the kiln and a separation wall of 0.07 m with multiple openings made with

special firebricks for effective and controlled flow of heat towards the payload ware.

Fig 6 CAD model of Kiln Design

Fig. 7 Cross-sectional view of kiln design

The base layer has been designed with two insulation layers of 0.1099 m thickness each with

uniform air gaps. The grate consists of mild steel rods placed equally apart for the passage of

flue gases towards the chimney.

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Construction:

The site available for the construction was situated at a distance from the main village area.

Before any kind of construction, proper levelling (Fig. 8) and back filling of the land was

required to be done to ensure rigid base for foundation and construction of shed.

Fig. 8 The process of levelling and settling down of soil during the beginning of construction

process of shed and kilns

This was followed by demarcation and construction of foundation boundaries and base shown

in Fig. 9.

Fig. 9 Laying of foundation of the cross-draught pottery kiln

During time, the refractory bricks, seamless MS pipes for chimney, T-joints, U-bend, MS

flanges, draft control valve and its parts were fabricated (Fig. 10). To ensure the cost

effectiveness and fulfil the specific dimensional requirements, the entire valve including the

bushes and revolving plate were designed, fabricated and assembled beforehand and were later

transported to the site because at the construction site there was no means of making weldments

and drills due to absence of electricity. Apart from this, in case of the cross-draught kiln special

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fire bricks and cement was also used for the construction of critical areas like that of the

dividing perforated wall to ensure high energy utilization.

Fig. 10 Fabrication of chimney parts at Khyala, Delhi

The construction work (Fig. 11) continued for about two to three weeks due to hinderances

caused by unfavourable weather conditions and rain. All possible measures were taken to

protect the sensitive insulation boards and other materials to avoid any loss due to rainy

conditions.

Fig. 11 The above pictures depict the construction of air-flow channel below the grate and

fixing of the chimney structure using grouting operation in order to ensure the rigidity of the

assembly.

(a) (b)

Fig. 12 (a) Shows the construction of separation wall made by introducing gaps between

specialized refractory bricks for controlled exposure of ware to the heat from the flame.

Fig. 12 (b) Shows the assembly for the kiln top gate.

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The top gate of the kiln (Fig. 12 a & b) was made using a rigid steel frame with two layers

insulation boards of thickness 0.15 m, with the insulation exposed towards the inner portion of

kiln since the top inner surface of the kiln would be exposed to large amount of heat throughout

the entire course of firing operation. Moreover, special care was taken to ensure the

dimensional accuracy of the top gate assembly because even a small gap in the final structure

could lead to leakage from the kiln chamber, consequently leading to drastic decrease in the

level of efficiency. LPG gas bank was also fabricated to ensure proper and safe regulation of

the gas to fire stoves (Fig. 13).

Fig. 13 LPG gas bank was fabricated and safe regulation of the gas to fire stoves

The new designs of the enhanced kilns were made keeping in mind the above-mentioned

considerations:

1. Low thermal mass of the structure was achieved by reducing the thickness of the walls

of the kiln and by introducing rat-trap bond structure in the walls. The rat-trap structure

provides sound and economical insulation as the air gap after the innermost row of bricks

insulates the rest of the brick structure from the hot inner layer, consequently preventing

a large part of the wall from absorbing energy.

2. The kiln was significantly isolated from the ground by raising the base platform of the

kiln above the ground and creating airgaps and channels to act as insulation layers. This

helped us reduce the notable 13% losses that were earlier happening exclusively due to

heat lost to the ground.

3. To ensure a less open flame and better control on primary and secondary air inlet areas,

a method using cross-draught arrangement in the cuboidal kiln, in which the flame does

not remain exposed to the atmosphere thereby reducing the losses to atmosphere, which

constituted about 45% of the total heat released by the fuel in the firing operation.

Note: before the final testing could be done, furnace was vandalised by some mischievous

elements of the society. The extent of the damage done to furnace is beyond the limits of repair.

Hence it needs to be constructed again. Therefore this project is closed.

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2.1.3 Adaptation of Sheep Hair Shearing Machine Developed by IIT Delhi (Phase-III)

a) Principal Investigator: Prof. S. K. Saha

b) Co- Principal Investigators: Prof. D. Ravi Kumar, Prof. Deepak

Kumar

c) Duration of Project: 06 Months

d) Project Commenced: 01/10/2018

e) Status: On-going

f) NGO partner: Jansamarth, Tehri, Uttarakhand

Summary:

Sheep-hair shearing machine is used to cut the woollen fleece of the sheep. The machine along

with comb and cutter was indigenously developed by IIT Delhi during 2006-2008. The

performance of the device matches the performance of the imported devices. Requirement of

a mechanised device to remove sheep hair was raised by an NGO Jansamarth during a meeting

at RuTAG IIT Roorkee. He mentioned the following problems with the current sheep shearing

practices in the region of Uttarakhand:

• Currently, in most of the places in Uttarakhand region, shepherds use scissor-type

blades.

• The blades of the scissors need to be sharpened on a regular basis, and thus one can use

them for a limited period of time.

• Needs to apply larger muscle power, which is tedious for a longer duration to shear

sheep hair. In Phata, Rampur, Uttarkashi, Devprayag and Kedarnath shepherds are not

aware of the mechanized device to remove sheep hair.

Therefore, RuTAG IIT Delhi took the initiative of the said problem under three phases. In the

first phase, two workshops were conducted to give hands-on experience of the mechanized way

of shearing to the shepherds of Rampur and Pipalkothi of Uttarakhand region. Thus, after

completing two training programs at various locations at Uttarakhand, phase-I was considered

completed.

In the second phase of the project, RuTAG IIT Delhi has taken the initiative to indigenously

develop and manufacture all the components of the device such as motor with flexible shaft

(Fig. 14), Handpiece with comb and cutter (Fig. 15). Also, suitable manufacturing processes

for mass production of components have been identified. The device set was manufactured and

tested at the several locations such as Barot, Bharmour, Bikaner, Rampur, and Hisar. The

device performed very well during the testing. Taking into consideration the Phase-II of the

project was considered completed. In the third phase of the project, the objective is vendor

development for mass production of the device and conducting training and awareness

programme for the shepherds and Shearers. Meanwhile the device will be optimized for the

smoother user experience. The device will also be tested at some specific locations after the

final modifications.

19

Fig. 14 Indigenous Motor with Flexible Shaft and Handpice

Fig. 15 Sheep-hair Shearing Handpiece with Comb and Cutter

Testing of Sheep Shearing Device at Palampur, H. P. during Nov. 15-21, 2018:

In 2014, IIT Delhi has taken a project titled “Dissemination of Low-cost Sheep Hair Shearing

Device developed by IIT Delhi” from Central Wool Development Board, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

under the supervision of Prof. S. K. Saha. The main objective of the project was to develop a

low-cost mechanised device for the removal of woollen fleece of the sheep to get the maximum

staple length of the extracted wool which will result in good quality yarn. Prof. S. K. Saha and

his team studied the device and worked in this project diligently. An indigenous device set was

finally developed and tested at several locations such as Barot, Bharmour, Palampur in H.P.,

Hisar in Haryana, and Bikaner in Rajasthan. The device was recently tested at Palampur, H. P.

Two project staff (Mr. Davinder Pal Singh and Mr. Ashish) from RuTAG IIT Delhi visited

Palampur (Fig. 16) for the testing during November 15-21, 2018. The indigenous set tested

included Handpiece, Combs, Cutters, Motor, and Flexible Drive. There, 18 sets of comb and

cutter, along with one motor, one flexible shaft and 7 Handpieces, were tested. The testing was

done with collaboration of Himachal Pradesh Wool Federation (HPWF) under the guidance of

Mr. Deepak Saini (Office In-charge, HPWF at Palampur).

20

Fig. 16 Testing of Sheep Hair Shearing Device developed by IIT Delhi at Bir, Palampur, H.P.

He assigned Mr. Hans Raj (Wool Grader, HPWF Palampur) for the supervision of the shearing.

Mr. Hans Raj managed everything for RuTAG IIT Delhi team such as identifying shearing

locations, shearers, sheep flocks, place of stay, etc. Over 125 sheep were sheared by indigenous

set at 5 different locations in Palampur region, named, Bodha, Sihol, Molichak, Bir, and Patti

during 8 days as the per the availability of the flocks. The indigenously developed Comb,

Cutter, Flexible Drive, Motor, and Handpiece performed at par with the imported device. The

comparative data was recorded by the team. Four different shearers, named, Malbar, Ashok,

DeshRaj, and Nitesh worked with the indigenous device and acknowledged the good

performance of the device during the testing. The shearers were happy to use the device

developed by IIT Delhi, and Mr. Saini has commented that this low cost device will certainly

boost the livelihood of the shepherds due to its nature of affordability.

Demonstration of Sheep Hair Shearing Device developed by IIT Delhi at Bhuj, Gujarat:

Mr. Davinder Pal Singh and Mr. Ashish Dahiya visited Bhuj, Gujarat on March 15, 2019 for

demonstration cum training programme in collaboration with KHAMIR and Gujarat Sheep and

Wool Development Corporation (GUSHEEL). RuTAG Team, KHAMIR Team, GUSHEEL

Team, some local sheep herders along with traditional shearers were present there. A total of

20 sheep were sheared by the device in front of all. A trained shearer (Fig. 17) was arranged

by GUSHEEL for the training and demonstration. The device performed very well throughout

the day. Traditional shearer who use scissors for shearing also got exposure to the device.

Traditional shearers tried the mechanized device for the first time and handled it very well. The

shearers were very happy and keen to use the mechanized device.

Fig. 17 Demonstration of Sheep Hair Shearing Device developed by IIT Delhi at Bhuj,

Gujarat

21

Present Status:

The long-awaited quest to convince someone to manufacture and sell the device in India has

come to an end as one of the identified vendor have successfully developed the device which

is ready for testing in the field. In the backdrop the existing modified device has been tested at

two locations which is as follows:

Demonstration of Sheep Hair Shearing Device developed by IIT Delhi at CSWRI,

Avikanagar, Rajasthan:

RuTAG IIT Delhi team comprising, Mr. Ashish (Jr. Project Assistant tech.), Mr. Srijan

Prabhakar (Research Scholar), Mr. Sumit Kumar (Project Assistant), and Mr. Mangal Sharma

(Project Attendant) visited Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSWRI), Avikanagar,

Rajasthan (Fig. 18) on September 23-24, 2019 to test and demonstrate the components of sheep

shearing device along with ten teeth comb and three teeth cutter manufactured by different

Fig. 18 Mr. Balraj (shearer) showing sheared sheep by IIT Delhi device at CSWRI shearing

section, Avikanagar, Rajasthan

vendors in field which are under development at RuTAG IIT Delhi. Newly developed three

teeth cutters manufactured by forging process (developed under the project funded by Moody’s

Corporation) worked at par with the machined cutter. The machined combs and cutters have

been modified as per the feedback and experience gained from trails at various places during

this project. These combs and cutters have great severance, minimal entering, and driving

forces. Their performance is better and equivalent to the imported comb and cutters available.

2 Handpieces were demonstrated/tested at the CSWWRI shearing section, both performed very

well. Sunner motor with new switch performed excellently, but on/off angle of improved pull

cord switch needs reduction. The flexible drive worked flawlessly.

Field trial of Sheep Hair Shearing Device developed by IIT Delhi at USWDB, Rishikesh,

Uttarakhand

RuTAG IIT Delhi team comprising, Mr. Ashish (Jr. Project Assistant tech.), and Mr. Davinder

Pal Singh (Project Associate) visited Uttarakhand Sheep and Wool Development Board

(USWDB), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand (Fig. 19) during January 10-14, 2020 to test and

22

demonstrate the components of sheep shearing device along with ten teeth comb and three teeth

cutter manufactured by different vendors in field which are under development at RuTAG IIT

Delhi.

Fig. 19 RuTAG IIT Delhi device in work at shearing camp in Bhanivala forest range,

Bhogpur, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

Newly developed three teeth cutters manufactured by forging process (developed under the

project funded by Moody’s Corporation) worked at par with the machined cutter. The imported

combs and cutters need to be changed every 3 sheep (as per the observance at the shearing

camp and according to USWDB Officials), however, IITD combs and cutters sheared a

maximum of 13 sheep without changing. 3 Handpieces were tested at the camp. The power

output of the generators was not linear, it was fluctuating constantly, and therefore, the team

was not able to take the data as expected. The motor and flexible shaft worked very well

throughout the shearing. From testing data, we can easily conclude that our Handpiece, comb,

cutter, flexible shaft, and motor are working well, and the performance is at par with the

imported device.

2.1.4 Fabrication of Tree Climbing Device for Safe and Convenient climbing of Coconut

Trees, Palakad, Kerala

a) Principal Investigator: Prof. S. P. Singh

b) Co-Principal Investigator: Prof. S. K. Saha

c) Duration of Project: One Year

d) Project Commenced: March 01, 2019

e) Status: On-going

f) NGO partners: Maithri, Palakad, Kerala

Summary:

The project has its background in an old letter from the ministry that coconut tree climbing is

a relevant problem in India and there should be put forward some solutions for efficient and

safe climbing of these trees and working up to harvest the coconuts. In this relation, a project

was proposed to two students as part of summer undergraduate research project. They did good

work and proposed an initial design of the tree climber.

23

There are a few climbers already in use, but they require the use of a coordinated hand and foot

movements and have safety concerns. Thus, apart from a development of the climber such that

one can climb the tree with the ease of climbing a staircase with primary function of the foot

and legs, the hand and arms are used only for additional safety concerns which comes to fore

whenever there is scope of accident or failure of the equipment.

Working Principle:

The gripping mechanism consists of steel strip attached via leaf spring to hinge which is free

to rotate about an axis attached to right (left) leg part head. This strip is wound across the tree

trunk. When the climber pushes the system down with his/her weight through the foot holder,

the strip clings on to the tree creating a couple which holds the weight of the person. To climb

up, the person lifts (Fig. 20) the right (left) leg (Fig. 21) part. The part moves up but the hinge

joint (Fig. 22) which was free to rotate, remains at the same position. This causes the strip to

lose its coupling effect and become slack. The hinge is supported by a stiff spring to control its

rotation. The slacked strip along with leg part can now be easily moved up and fixed again by

pushing it down from the foot holder (Fig. 23). Similar method is applied for climbing down.

Making the CAD Model:

We designed the CAD model using AutoCAD and Solidworks environment. Our basic

variables were manufacture and production cost and sustainability of the model under various

loads. Following are the major components:

Fig. 20 Right Leg Fig. 21 Left Leg

Fig. 22 Hinge Joint Fig. 23 Foot Holder

24

Material Selection and Manufacturing Process:

After considering the weight as well as the cost of various materials available, we finalised

Mild Steel as the basic material for production of first prototype. Mild Steel (MS) is cheap and

most easily available, thus making it appropriate for prototype production. Our second-best

contender was Aluminium because of its light weight, but its machining is difficult and is

expensive.

The material chosen for the steel strip was Spring Steel because the gripper was required to be,

tough, flexible and elastic. It should be able to take load of approximately 100kgs person

without getting permanently deformed. It should be tough enough not to crack under such load.

In addition to these Leaf Springs was used with the strip to add to its toughness.

Spring of high stiffness was also used which joined the hinge and the leg part. It is a very

important part of the system as it restricts and controls the free rotatory motion of the hinge

about its axis thus assuring safety in the gripping mechanism of the tree climber.

Manufacturing processes involved:

i. Milling- Most of cutting of steel was done by this process. Manufacture of Hinge joint

(Fig. 22) was solely based on this process.

ii. Laser Cutting- For cutting out templates of all the parts which were to be made by

sheet metal cutting. Templates were made of plywood or acrylic glass from CNC Lab.

iii. Sheet Metal Cutting- Every other part was made of sheets of MS of thickness 1mm or

2mm. This was done to reduce the weight of the overall product and ease in mobility.

The templates were used by the worker to cut the sheet metal.

iv. Welding- To join the parts made by sheet metal. Arc Welding was majorly used. TIG

Welding was also used.

v. Drilling- To drill holes into components wherever necessary.

vi. Powder coating- To protect the components from getting rusted with time. Colour-

White

Testing:

Our one of the aims was to climb a general tree. So, we testes the final prototype on a random

tree in front of the cricket field of IIT Delhi (Fig. 24 and 25). We used safety harness belt along

with carabiners to protect the climber in case of failure. It was initially difficult to climb but as

we got hang of it we climbed approximately 10 feet above the ground. And climbed down

successfully. No injuries were reported.

Preliminary Investigation and Problem Identification:

After the preliminary product was developed, a visit was made to Kerala (Maithri) NGO who

looks after the welfare of coconut planters as well as the workers. The presentation was made,

and the device was also tested. The preliminary prototype being a crude version has several

limitations in proper functioning.

25

Fig. 24 Final product ready for use Fig. 25 Reached max. Height

But the concept was very much liked by the concerned persons and that encouragement has

motivated us to enhance the product further and make a prototype fully usable with all the

envisaged advantages.

● The current tree climbers in the market are not safe and some accidents have happened.

● The arrangement using a closed loop of rope is also very risky. Due to this risk there is

a social taboo amongst the tree climbers’ community. People do not marry their girls in

tree climber’s family because of the large amount of risk involved in the job.

● People would also prefer an arrangement where they can use mechanized way a

climbing. They are ready to shell out money for a product so long as they realize that it

is productive and safe.

● The income of tree climber is related to the number of trees he can climb in one day.

Per tree the charges are around Rs 30. One of their interests is also to increase the

productivity of the person.

Preliminary Objectives:

Based on the observations, following objectives are formulated.

a) Development of improved prototype of Tree Climber: Fabrication of the new prototype

will be aimed to remove the limitation of right foot movement. Currently the design of

the right leg (upper leg) of the attachment is such that the mechanism movement is not

synchronous with the natural lifting movement of the leg. This results in mechanism

getting locked at times.

b) Safety Measure: Another important aspect of the climber is to design/provide a safe and

low-cost harness which can be used as guard against any unprecedented loss of grip.

The purpose is to make the climbing process safer. Such harness solutions are already

available for mountaineering but whether they will be suitable for coconut tree

climbing.

Present Status:

Design analysis of the prototype is presently being done to understand the significance of the

various parameters which are vital in manoeuvring the device vertically over the tree. The

26

results will be incorporated to improve the device and will be tested with the help of the NGO

partner (Maithri), Palakad, Kerala (Fig. 26).

Fig. 26 Existing arrangement and a prototype of the proposed mechanism

2.1.5 Development of More Ergonomic and Efficient Street Sizing System for Chirala

Handloom Cluster

a) Principal Investigator: Prof. Samrat Mukhopadhyay, Textile

Technology, IIT Delhi

b) Duration of Project: 06 Months

c) Project Commenced: January 01, 2019

d) Status: On-going

e) NGO partners: Rastra Chenetha Jana Samakhya (RCJS)

Jandrapet, Chirala, Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh

Summary:

The process of sizing (Fig. 27) is a very crucial step in weaving. Sizing is done to give

temporary strength to single count cotton yarn to withstand the rigor of weaving while keeping

the characteristics and properties of cotton yarn intact. It directly affects the production rate

and number of breakages and faults in fabric. Street sizing is one of the two most common

ways to do it, other being Hank sizing. The process of street sizing is very tedious and

repetitive. The weavers in Chirala, spray the sizing liquid on around 10-15 m of yarn sheet,

subsequently carry a heavy brush/comb to evenly spread the sprayed liquid onto yarn surface

and leave it to dry. This process is repeated for 3- 4 hours on both side of fabric. This is a

painful as well as heavily time consuming. Also spraying is not very efficient method of

applying the solution.

27

Fig. 27 Traditional Sizing of Warp Sheet

Preliminary Investigations and Problem Formulation:

The need of improvement in one of the handloom process, Street sizing was identified. The

problem was brought to us by the trade union itself and we visited Chirala to better understand

the problem and validate it. The operation mainly consists of coating long warp sheet from

starch paste by using hand held spray and heavy brush. It strengthens the yarn so that it can

endure the various forces exerted in weaving loom. Sizing is crucial as it directly affects

production rate & number of breakages. Sizers are leaving the operation due to drudgery of

sizing operation and low income.

We proposed four different mechanical designs to aid in the street sizing process, namely

helical, circular, hexagonal and hexagonal with off brush mechanisms (Fig. 28).

Fig. 28 Hexagonal with off Brush Mechanisms

28

Action Plan and Deliverables:

The sizers of Chirala need to work on the device conduct regular testing sessions at each

Sunday for one hour and get them to prepare a note of every discussion. Make the testing

more organized by working on specific problems each time to fine tune the design which

would include refinements of

● Brushing action

● Accommodation of lease rods

● Reversal mechanism

● Loading and unloading of warp sheet

● Any other issue they come up with tests will be performed of the raw yarn, Chirala

traditional method sized yarn and the new device sized yarn. After testing, optimized

conditions and finalized model will be ready to operate by the sizers.

Present Status:

The final model contains improved brushing action. Instead of moving the brush, the warp was

lifted off the polygon and stretched between two rotating rollers. Brush is located in the middle

of these two rollers, so that warp always remains in contact with it. Several prototypes were

made and a scaled model was installed at Chirala (Fig. 29), where the local sizers only are

doing trials. Several iterations have been made to our initial design as per sizers’ feedback and

the process of product development is still going on.

Fig. 29 A Octagonal with off Brush Mechanisms

A CAD model of new drive mechanism/ Street sizing machine (Fig. 30) has been completed

with engineering drawing, and fabrication is under progress (Fig. 31). Manufacturing of

following parts of the street sizing machine have been completed i.e. base structure frame, yarn

wrapping octagonal frame, rubber roller, solution tank, guide roller etc. (Fig. 31) and rest parts

under process.

29

Fig. 30 CAD Model of New Drive Mechanism/ Street sizing machine

Fig. 31 Actual Model of New Drive Mechanism/ Street sizing machine

30

2.1.6 Proposal for Designing of Vertical Vermicomposting Unit for Mata Vaishno Devi

Katra

a) Principal Investigator: Prof S. K. Saha (Mech. Engg. Dept.);

b) Co-Principal Investigators: Prof. Satyawati Sharma, CRDT, IIT

Delhi;

Prof. Balbir Singh, Dept. of Mech. Engg.

SMVDU, Kakryal, Katra, J&K;

Dr. Kalpana Arora, SESS, New Delhi

c) Duration of Project: One Year

d) Project Commenced: June 01, 2019

e) Status: On-going

f) NGO partners: Centre for Technology and Development

(CTD), A unit of Society for Economic

and Social Studies (SESS), New Delhi

Summary:

Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine is visited on an average every day by about 40 thousand pilgrims

and the numbers are growing every year. As the Shrine is located in quite steep hilly region,

about 15 km walking distance from Katra Town, about 5 to 10% of the pilgrims use local horses

and mules for visiting the Shrine. For transporting all the material to the lodges existing near

Shrine a caravan of Mules are used. It is a rough estimate that about 1000 horses and mules are

in service in this area. Mules not only provide the ease of access to pilgrims but also a livelihood

activity for the people involved in this service.

During the field visit to the Shrine Area in November 2007 for an Environmental, Ecological

and Hydrological basin Study it was found that the dung of these animals is causing a problem

also in November 2018, Honourable Supreme Court had asked to treat the following with

immediate effect:

1. Pollution of the Banganga stream and other water sources in the area by mule dung.

2. The dumping of the dung along the path to the Shrine is spreading bad odour in the

area, causing inconvenience to the pilgrims.

3. The path has become slippery at several places along the path due to dung and urine of

these animals.

4. The dry dung dumps are openly burnt at several places, which release smoke.

As the flat land area is limited in the hilly areas and the ecology of the area is also very fragile,

maintaining the garbage dump yard sites is limited. The disposal of tonnes of garbage is a

difficult task for the shrine board and also the Katra Municipality. Also the rate of

decomposition is limited due to altitude and existing low temperatures for several months in a

year. To tackle this ecological challenge of solid waste management, there is a need for a

comprehensive solution.

The action plan as suggested by the Supreme Court proposed the following activities:

● A detailed study of the dung and garbage disposal problem in the areas.

31

● Interaction with the stakeholders and finding solutions for segregation and

management of the solid waste.

● Designing or adopting appropriate technologies such as biomass stoves for cooking

and heating purposes with dung/garbage pellets.

● Vermicompost preparation using the dung for which, identification of the suitable

earthworms and designing the technique of vermicomposting. Developing a scientific

method for Composting wet garbage, dung, and local biomass.

● Training to the local people, farmers and others on the above technologies.

Objectives and Work Plan:

a) Primary objective: To develop and disseminate the vertical vermicomposting unit for

horse/mule dung composting at Mata Vaishno Devi Katra.

b) Secondary objectives:

Phase I

1. Designing of vertical system for vermicomposting of mule/horse dung.

Experiments will be conducted at waste management site, IIT Delhi, in various

designed structures for vermicomposting. Various materials will also be tested for

the strength and suitability. Aerobic vermicomposting process will be carried out

by using various E. fetida species and their efficacy will be tested. Work will be

carried out in a known quantity of substrate mix. Compost samples will be collected

at a specific interval of time for its analytic work.

2. Quality analysis (physical, biochemical and microbial) of the compost produced

Mule dungs taken from experimental site will be analysed for its physico-chemical

properties namely bulk density, ash content, EC, pH, organic carbon, and

macronutrients (N,P,K). Standard methods will be followed for different analysis.

Phase II

1. Testing of the vertical vermicomposting system on site i.e. Sri Vaishno Devi Katra

(with some polyhouse kind arrangement for colder months)

2. Training and engagement of local people for the development of the units.

The Work Plan will have following steps:

i. Review of literature

ii. Designing of Vertical Vermicomposting unit

iii. Testing of design proposed at IITD campus

iv. Analysis (chemical, biochemical and microbial) of compost sample taken in a

specific interval of time.

v. Design Improvement and trials at IITD campus

vi. Data analysis (statistical) and report writing.

32

Expected Deliverables:

1. Two – three finished prototypes vertical vermicomposting units.

2. Fully working vertical vermicomposting unit

3. A detailed report

Present Status:

A visit has been organized to Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board on July 30 – 31, 2019 by

team members (Prof. Balbir Singh and Dr. Kalpana Arora) with following objectives to

analyze the feasibility of the proposed activities:

● To seek the administrative support of shrine board during project activities

● To identify the present collection and dumping mechanism for mule dung

● To have information about the treatment methods being followed

The Mule dung is collected and transported to the dedicated composting site at Village

Natali, and the composting process is being carried out there with the help of staff deputed

by Shrine Board. The project was initiated under Solid Liquid Waste Management

(SLWM) with the help of Indian Green Service, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. Additionally,

Department of Agriculture, Horticulture, Floriculture and Krishi Vigyan Kendra are

assisting the Shrine Board in procurement and distribution of the manure to the farmers.

The distribution is being done free of cost. However the following issues are being faced

by the Shrine board:

● The current duration of the composting process is 120-180 days.

● The compost is not suitable for seedlings and transplantation process (probably due to

high Electrical Conductivity (EC).

● The vermicomposting of mule dung has also been tried in the past but could not get

materialized.

The consent regarding the development and field trials for vertical vermicomposting unit

has been given by the Shrine Board and it has been assured by the Shrine Board that it will

provide the assistance of space, water and other basic facilities there.

Mule Dung Composting site, Village Natali (Fig. 32):

The visit was done by RuTAG Project team members Prof. Balbir Singh (SMVDU) and Dr.

Kalpana Arora (CTD) on July 30, 2019. As per the brief given by the staff, the details are as

follows:

Fig. 32 Mule Dung Composting at Village Natali

33

Soon after the Shrine Board vehicle brings the mule dung at composting site, it is taken

for sieving, which is done manually by standing sieve of 10 mm size, to separate the

polythene, and other non-biodegradable material from the dung (Fig. 33 & Fig. 34).

Fig. 33 Dumping of Mule Dung Fig. 34 Sieve for screening of dung

● After segregation, the dung is subjected to composting by filling it into the circular pits

having diameter and depth of 12ft each respectively. Thus making total volume 1357

cu.ft. (approx 50 m3).

● The daily waste input is around 6TPD and total number of pits is 13. It will take

approx10-11 days to fill the pit completely.

● Bio-inoculant manufactured by M/s. Organica Biotech has been used to treat the waste

(Fig. 35).

● The waste is filled in the pits gradually by adding bio-inoculant after every 1.5ft layer

of dung. When completely filled the pit is covered and kept undisturbed till the

composting is done (Fig. 36).

● Approx. 3,00,000 (3 Lakhs) kg of manure has been distributed among farmers till date

free of cost.

Fig. 35 Bio-inoculant used for composting Fig. 36 Filled and Covered Pits

Forest Nursery, Kunia, Village Panthal:

The forest nursery has 900 CFT capacity vermicomposting unit. The unit utilized Farm

Yard Manure (FYM), procured from nearby villages. The duration of composting is

approx 150 days and earthworm variety Eisenia fetida is used for making

vermicompost (Fig. 37).

34

Fig. 37 Vermicomposting unit at Kunia, Village Panthal

A CAD model of Vertical Vermicomposting (Fig. 38) and assembly drawing of Vertical

Vermicomposting Setup (Fig. 39) is under progress after narrowing down the design

requirements as per the feedback and will be send manufactured soon.

Fig. 38 CAD model of Vertical Vermicomposting Setup

35

Following are the key features and design requirements for Vertical Vermicomposting Setup:

1. The design is for vertical vermicomposting

2. Sprinklers on the top of each box for water supply

3. Drawers can be pulled out fully for loading and un-loading

4. Water pump for supplying water in sprinklers.

5. Handles for easy pulling of boxes

6. Sliding mechanism (rollers) for boxes.

7. Good ground clearance for keeping some trolley during un-loading.

8. Space above the boxes for sprinklers and air circulation.

9. Holes on four sides of drawers for air circulation.

10. Holes at bottom of boxes for removal of excess water into drain.

11. Wheels for mobile setup.

Fig. 39 Assembly Drawing of Vertical Vermicomposting Setup

2.1.7 Dissemination of Improved Metallic Carpet Looms Developed by IIT Delhi for

Carpet Weavers at Jaipur, Rajasthan

a) Principal Investigator: Prof. S. K. Saha

b) Duration of Project: 06 Months

e) Project Commenced: 01/10/2018

f) Status: On-going

g) NGO partners: Rajasthan Carpet and Woollen Products

Development Society (RCWPDS)

Basement, Chamber Bhawan, MI Road, Jaipur,

Rajasthan

36

Summary:

India produces a large variety of carpets in terms of quality, size, and raw material. At present,

carpets are woven on wooden (Fig. 40a) and metallic (Fig. 40b) looms, which have several

drawbacks, like susceptibility to termites, low life (2-5 years), loss of environment friendly

trees, etc. Moreover, it is very difficult to provide tension to the warp, as it requires 4 to 5

persons and about 30-40 minutes. The tension is given by pulling a rope tied with a metal rod

on the upper and lower beams. To overcome the drawbacks of a wooden loom, IIT Delhi had

developed metallic carpet loom (Fig. 41) during 2007-08. Field trials indicated that the

designed metallic looms in which one person can easily give tension in about 10 min. are very

much acceptable to the users. Moreover, beam bending is also very small, providing uniform

tension that improves the quality of carpets.

Carpet looms are used for weaving woollen and silk carpets. During weaving different

operations are carried out, such as tensioning of warp, shading, knotting, cutting, and beating.

For these operations, some arrangements should be provided. While designing the loom

structure, its strength, ease of operation, high productivity, ergonomics (seating arrangement)

and cost should be considered so that they add maximum value for money. Carpet weaving is

the process of interlacement of warp and weft in a fabric. Here warp means longitudinal threads

that run parallel to vertical channel whereas, and weft means transverse thread that run across

the fabric (Fig. 42).

Some of the hand-knotted carpet making areas of India are:

● Uttar Pradesh: Mirzapur and Bhadohi (where 90 per cent of all carpets of country are

produced).

● Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Ajmer and Barmer

● Madhya Pradesh: Gwalior

● Delhi (carpets as well as durries)

● Jammu and Kashmir (Persian designs), Ladakh (Tibetan designs)

● North-eastern states: Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Manipur (Tibetan designs)

● Andhra Pradesh: Warangal and Elluru

● Tamil Nadu

● Karnataka

Regions specially known for hand tufting in India are:

● Haryana and Punjab Particularly Panipat in Haryana is famous for panja durries

● Tamil Nadu: Salem durries in Bhavani

● Karnataka: Jamkhan durries in Navalgund

● Andhra Pradesh: Bandha or ikat durries in Warangal

● Rajasthan: Jaisalmer and Barmer for woollen durries

37

(a) Wooden Loom (b) Metallic Loom

Fig. 40 Existing Wooden and Metallic Loom

Fig. 41 Hand tools (Knife and Beater)

Preliminary Investigations and Problem Formulation:

For further improvement of the developed metallic loom, it is required to be disseminated to

the users to gather feedback. During the previous workshop, it was identified that wooden

looms and older model of the metallic looms were being used in Jaipur, Rajasthan (Fig. 40b).

Hence, there is a need to create awareness about the new standardized metallic loom among

the weavers. It was decided that the looms could be provided to Rajasthan Carpet and Woolen

Products Development Society (RCWPDS) so that a wider user base can be made aware of the

new metallic loom.

Problems in the existing Wooden/Metallic Carpet Looms:

● Wooden/existing metal loom structure is susceptible to termites.

● Life is less (2-5 years).

● Due to high tension, bending occurs in the beams.

● Difficult to provide tension to the warp. (4 to 5 persons and about 30 to 40 minutes).

● Sometimes upper beam falls during weaving.

38

Fig. 42 Metallic Carpet loom designed and developed of by IIT Delhi during 2008-09

Objectives and Action Plan:

The objective of this project would be to manufacture and deliver two looms to Rajasthan

Carpet and Woollen Products Development Society (RCWPDS) for testing and feedback.

A vendor has been identified to manufacture and deliver the metallic carpet loom. The

identified vendor will be kept in the feedback loop so that necessary modifications may be

incorporated.

Present Status:

Three looms have been manufactured and sent three different locations such as one at

RCWPDS, Jaipur, Rajasthan, another one is at Mr. Jitendra Bonal, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand

(Fig. 43), and one at Chirala, Andhra Pradesh.

First loom has been installed at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand and five weavers were imparted loom

operation training. The express happiness during the usage of the loom which as reduced

drudgery. They said, modified loom has solve three problems such as non-uniformity tension

in the WARP thread, easy tension developed in the TANA, and ease in handling bigger length

carpets Second loom has been installed at Jain Arts, Village–Banskho, Tehsil–Bassi, Jaipur,

Rajasthan (Fig. 44) under the supervision of RCWPDS, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

39

Fig. 43 Loom installed at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand

RuTAG team trained one weaver/ technician, for the operation of loom. The weaver/users

expressed happiness in using improved loom which eliminated their four problems have been

such as non-uniformity tension in the WARP Thread, easy tension developed in the TANA,

easy move one place to other place, and bigger size in length of darri will be weave on this

loom.

Fig. 44 Loom installed at Jain Art, Banskho, Tehsil-Bassi, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Third loom will be installed soon at Warangal under the supervision of Mr. Mohan Rao, Rastra

Chenetha Jana Samakhya (RCJS) Jandrapet, Chirala, Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh.

40

2.1.8 Design Improvement of Tulsi Mala Making Device for Bigger Beads.

a) Principal Investigator: Prof. S. K. Saha, ME, IIT Delhi

b) Duration of Project: 06 Months

d) Project Commenced: March 01, 2019

e) Status: On-going

f) NGO partners: Human social Welfare Society, Mathura,

Uttar Pradesh

Summary:

RuTAG IIT Delhi in collaboration with NGO – Human Social Welfare, Mathura conducted

a workshop and training at Jait village in Mathura to demonstrate Tulsi Mala Making device

(Fig. 45). Dhanendra Kumar , President of Human social Welfare Society, Mathura told

that around 2000 families in the villages near Mathura make Tulsi Mala beads to earn their

livelihood. Around 80% of the beads produced have size less than 15mm and remaining

20% of the beads produced have size ranging between 15 to 25 mm (Fig. 46). The current

design of Tulsi Mala making device developed by RuTAG IIT Delhi is capable of making

beads around 10-12 mm. The device uses a 12V DC motor which can draw current up to

5A. The NGO- Human Social Welfare Society, Mathura had expressed the need for

updating Tulsi Mala device so that it can be used to make beads of size 25mm. It was also

mentioned that the tulsi stem comes out of the stem holder (Chuck) while operation and

adjusting the tail stock pin is a cumbersome process. During the training users also pointed

out that the transmitted vibration from the motor was large and the machine produces lot

of sound.

Fig. 45 CAD Model of Tulsi Mala making Device

41

Fig. 46 Tulsi mala beads of different sizes made in Jait, Mathura

Objective and action plan:

Design improvement required in the device:

● To select motor which can meet the load requirement for the bead size of 25 mm.

● Redesign the structure as per the new load conditions.

● Redesign the concept of holding tulsi stem.

● Feasibility of replacing the existing switch with contact less switch.

● Including design concept to reduce the amplitude of transmitted vibration and

sound.

● Include hand rest to support hand that holds cutting tool.

Present Status:

Team from RuTAG IIT Delhi visited Jait Village to gather input required in the design

modification of Tulsi beads making machine. Load and power requirement calculation has

been done to turn tulsi stem of 25mm. A 100-watt AC motor with clutch to control the

speed of motor has been selected for turning operation. A prototype was made to test the

motor. Testing of motor was done in RuTAG Lab and beads of size 10 to 25mm were made.

To slide the motor during operation linear bearing and guide rail attachment has been

incorporated in the design. The attachment has the capability to absorb vibration

transmitted from the motor and thus the sound level produced by the machine has been

controlled. Sockets of closed spanner has been selected to hold tulsi stem. Design

modification of tool post has been done to handle tulsi beads. CAD model of new tulsi

beads making machine has been generated (Fig. 47). Next step is to fabricate modified

device (Fig. 48) and distribute it to the artisans for feedback.

Fig. 47 CAD Model of Modified Tulsi Beads making Device

42

Fig. 48 Actual Model of Modified Tulsi Beads making Device for bigger Beads

● The regional workshop conducted by RuTAG at Mathura on December 16, 2019

focused on training and demonstration of new tulsi mala bead making machine.

● NGO Human Social Welfare Society organised two weeks training for women at Jait

village, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh to operate new machine.

● New machine was demonstrated during the inauguration of Gandhi Haat at Rajghat.

● Two artisans from Jait received half-day training to operate the machine at IIT Delhi in

February 2020 (Fig. 49)

● From the recent feedback from artisans the speed of operation needs to be reduced as

higher speed is restricting the complete removal of the outer layer of stem. Also the

portion of the bead coming in contact with the tool post surface burns due to friction

and due to this dark spots are formed.

● There is requirement of design improvement of the tool post and chuck

● There is random power cut in the village and sometime artisans have to wait for a long

time to restart working. This also beaks the continuity of work. So, a solution has to be

thought to solve this issue.

Fig. 49 Artisan working on Modified Tulsi Beads making Device

43

2.1.9 Design Improvement and Fabrication of New Model Charkha (NMC)

a) Principal Investigator: Prof. R. Chattopadhyay, Textile

Technology, IIT Delhi

b) Co-Principal Investigator: Prof. S. K. Saha

c) Duration of Project: 06 Months

d) Project Commenced: March 01, 2019

e) Status: On-going

f) NGO partners: Khadi and Village Industries

Commission (KVIC), Mumbai,

Maharastra

Summary:

The New Model Charkha (NMC) is used to spin cotton yarn. The existing charkha is a

miniaturized version of ring spinning machine with drafting system and spindles. The

equipment is run by turning a handle. Under KVIC funded project design modification was

initiated and the driving system was changed. Instead of driving by hand, pedal operated drive

was introduced to make it hand free operation and using leg power.

The modified NMC (Fig. 50) was fabricated by a KVIC approved fabricator in Gondal, Gujrat

and sent for field trial in four different locations across the country. The feed has been found

to be encouraging.

Fig. 50 New Model Charkha

Preliminary Investigations and Problem Formulation:

Features of newly developed charkha

1. Dual drive i.e. Pedal or hand.

2. Free rotation of chain in case of accidental reverse turning of pedal.

3. Number of spindles increased from 8 to 10.

44

4. Ring rail movement smoothened.

5. Delivery increased by 10% (From 7.1 inches per single rotation of handle in

traditional NMC charkha to 7.83 inches per single rotation of pedal).

6. Hands free operation; support handle for balancing.

7. Twin spindle drive (single pulley drives two spindles).

8. Central seating arrangement of operator (ergonomically suitable).

There is still scope for improvement as stated below:

● Seat redesign (wider and back support) for ergonomic comfort.

● Height adjustability of seat for accommodating legs of different sizes.

● Speed monitor to help the operator to run it at optimum speed.

● Slightly large spindle to reduce spindle jumping and increase bobbin content.

Present Status:

To avoid the brakeage of threads an RPM meter (Fig. 51) was attached to the new model

charkha so that user can operate the machine at optimum speed. Seat re-designing for better

ergonomics and comfort is being done.

Fig. 51 Improved New Model Charkha

A ten Spindle New Model Charkha (Fig. 52) was purchased from Amber Utpadan & Research

Centre, Gondal, Distt.-Rajkot, Gujarat. The New design of table with seating arrangement will

be attached for better ergonomics and comfort for the users.

Fig. 52 Improved Ten Spindle New Model Charkha

45

A CAD model of Table with Sitting Arrangement for New Model Charkha (Fig. 53) and

assembly drawing of Table with Sitting Arrangement for New Model Charkha (Fig. 54) is

under progress and will be manufactured soon.

Fig. 53 CAD Model of Table with Sitting Arrangement for New Model Charkha

Fig. 54 Assembly Drawing of Table with Sitting Arrangement for New Model Charkha

46

2.1.10 Prevention of Stone Dust Inhalation for Stone Carvers at Bharatpur, Rajasthan

a) Principal Investigator: Prof. Debabrata Dasgupta

b) Co-Principal Investigator: Prof. Bahni Ray

c) Duration of Project: One Year

d) Project Commenced: January 01, 2019

e) Status: On-going

f) NGO partners: Lupin Foundation, Bharatpur, Rajasthan

Summary:

Inhalation of stone dust is a common and severe problem faced by labourers working in stone

quarry and stone crushing units. The silica traces present in the stones, if inhaled, can cause a

respiratory ailment known as ‘Silicosis’. The disease in its severe form can be fatal and there

is no known cure for silicosis till date.

Type of stones involved include sandstone and white marble. Stone quarry workers deal with

sandstone and the stone carvers work on white marbles. The workers in the unorganized sectors

are most affected since they do not have the proper economic and social support to create a

safe working environment for themselves. The images (Fig. 55) below show the stone carving

techniques (manual and mechanised) used in a mine near Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

Fig. 55 Stone carving Techniques (manual and mechanised) near Bharatpur, Rajasthan

Preliminary Investigation and Problem Identification:

A visit was made to a mine near Bharatpur, Rajasthan, to observe and study the working

environment and working process of the stone carvers. The following observations were made

in that regard.

● Artisans use both manual and mechanised way to carve the stones based on the

applications.

● Particulate measurement devices reported abnormally high amount of particulate matter

concentration in the working environment.

47

● Use of water to supress the dust is not feasible due to severe water shortage.

● P1 Masks are provided by the contractor. Proper maintenance and utilization of the mask

is not done.

● Labourers prefer thinner mask since the current mask is bulky and restrictive.

● It was noted that the local government body compensates the artisans who are contracted

with silicosis with a sum amount of Rs. 2.00 Lakhs. This may be one of the causes of

observed lack of interest to prevent silicosis among the artisans.

Preliminary Objectives:

Based on the observations, following objectives are formulated.

a) A socio-economic study to completely assess the situation: A study will be required to

completely understand the ground level situation of the artisans. To fulfil this, a socio-

economic study will be planned and conducted. The study will be aimed to understand

the main reasons that hinder the labourers from using the masks provided, the impact

of silicosis on the artisans and the precautions taken up by them to prevent the same.

b) Technical solutions to prevent the inhalation: Based on the socio-economic study,

technical solutions will be developed that can prevent the inhalation of stone dust by

the artisans. This may include dust suppression at source, low cost masks, controlled

environments, etc., based on the technical and economic feasibility.

Present Status:

Prof. Debabrata Dasgupta, along with RuTAG staff visited the cluster to observe the

problems faced by labourers working in stone quarry and marble carving units. Two

groups of students under Prof. Debabrata Dasgupta and Prof. Bahni Ray are working

on two alternative prospective solution models. One on a portable and affordable glove

box setup (Fig. 56), and the second group on vacuum attachments for the tool. The

proposed solutions are currently being assessed and tested in the prototype stage.

Fig. 56 Portable and affordable Glove Box Setup

48

Two designs were thought of to address the problem of stone dust inhalation – A

portable glove hood, and a suction system. The portable glove-hood is made by using

PVC sheets over a steel frame (Fig. 56). Two access holes are provided, using which,

a person’s hands could be comfortably inserted inside the dome, and the cutting

operation could be done. Anti-static spray is applied to prevent the sticking of dust

particles on the dome surface in order to maintain proper visibility inside the dome. The

advantages of this system are many: the system is versatile, cheap, and portable. The

system has been developed and tested successfully at IIT Delhi, where the stone

particulate concentrations have been measured (PM 1, PM 2.5, PM 4 and PM 10) with

and without the use of the ventilation hood. The use of ventilation hood has been found

to be effective in reducing the particulate concentration at the stone carver’s inhalation

level considerably. However, the field-testing of the setup is still pending. The

prototype of the suction system was developed and tested at IIT Delhi.

2.1.11 Truncated Unglazed Percolative Clay Ceramic Ware as a Modified Pitcher

Irrigation System

a) Principal Investigator: Prof. Anand Plappally, IIT Jodhpur

b) Co-Principal Investigators: NA

c) Duration of Project: 09 Months

d) Project Commenced: July 01, 2019

e) Status: On-going

f) NGO partners: Sehgal Foundation, Gelabaas village in

Luni block, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Summary:

Truncated unglazed porous clay ceramics are recently used in several parts of India for

household drinking water filtering purposes. Flow rate through these porous filters named G-

filters in fully filled conditions was found to be 950ml/h. This technology is presently available

in some areas neighboring the Thar Desert. These areas have poorly drained soil therefore a

ditch or tile (porous clay pipe) is a potential drainage solution. Porous vessels such as pitchers

and tiles are used for sub-surface irrigation (Fig. 57). From history, it is also known that

societies residing in the arid regions in India used to practice this sub surface irrigation

technology. This technology was said to be invented by prehistoric north African farming

communities provides exemplary yields from crops. For example, the pitcher irrigated farm in

India fetched melons amounting to 0.1x 105 kg/acre with very low water requirement. Pitcher

irrigation is also good to conserve water with high effectiveness. Water from the pitchers wash

away the salts in the soils to the far edges of the wetted boundaries of the soil defined by porous

transport of water about the pitcher surroundings. The unglazed truncated porous clay ceramics

“the G Filters” are having porosity in the range 36-42% will be good enough to wash away

salts in the loamy saline soils of Jodhpur thus helping to desalt. With the availability of

truncated porous clay ceramics with controlled percolation rates in the areas near Thar, it may

be a boon to re-introduce this irrigation technology in these desert lands. According to UN,

49

there is need to install such technologies especially in area with precipitation lower than 500

mm/year.

Fig. 57 Model Arrangement of the Truncated Unglazed Porous Clay Ceramics for Sub-

surface Irrigation

Preliminary Investigation and Problem Identification:

Salt affected soils of Rajasthan are spread over an area of 374942ha. Large amounts of soluble

salts or exchangeable sodium in the soils affect the growth of crops in Rajasthan. Further the

ground water in the Jodhpur district region is also salty. Table 1 showing the recent water

analysis performed for waters from Arna Jharna Museum, Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Table1: The ground water salinity in one of the locations in Jodhpur.

Plants showcase stunted growth in soils with high salinity. It is said that irrigation using porous

clay tiles and pitcher have been proven to be successful to leach salt out from the neighboring

soils by the water carrying tile or pitcher. Unglazed truncated porous ceramic structures placed

50

inside the soils can desalinate the soils. The soils of most of the location are having negligible

carbon content as well as nitrogen which is needed for plant growth. Animal waste and plant

fiber geo-textiles can be used to improve the carbon and nitrogen content in these soils.

Objectives and Action Plan:

● Carry out soil analysis in farm sites in salt affected 5 villages: It is proposed that the

farmland affected with soils will be selected and soil test will be conducted using the

commercial soil analysis test kit. The nutrients in the soils will be noted.

● Installation of truncated unglazed clay ceramics ware below the ground surface as

shown in Fig 44. An array of 50 porous vessels in an area of 5000 ft2 in each farmland

will be installed. These vessels will be surrounded by animal dung to improve nitrogen

content in the surrounding soils and local geotextile mats made of Crotolaria Burhia

(Siniya in local Marwari dialect) will be laid surrounding each porous vessel to suppress

wind erosion.

● Plants for the trails: Brinjal and Okra are the vegetables that will be grown during the

seasons and will be studied for understanding the influence of the technology on their

physical and structural attributes while they grow on saline soils.

With these interventions, it is expected that the salinity of the surrounding soils near to the

porous vessel will diminish. Plants will show better growth. Carbon, Phosphorus and

Nitrogen content are supposed to improve in the soils in the Kharif and Rabi seasons. Water

saving per plant is supposed to increase when compared with control trials. Here the control

trails are proposed on two separate 5000 ft2 lands without any treatment and the other with

geotextile or any local soil stabilization treatment.

● Post- Treatment Soil Analysis: All the five trials and two controls are supposed to

influence soil fertility and quality. Therefore a weekly assessment of the soil fertility

parameters and salinity levels will be performed.

The first trials are proposed in Rudiya Village, (Bhopalgarh block), Banad Village,

Jodhpur, Salawas Village, Jheepasni village (IIT Jodhpur, Campus C) and a village in Luni

block (along with M.S. Sehgal Foundation). Five student teams will work over the next one

year on this project. The plan of work is extending to two seasons Rabi and Kharif. The

elaboration of the same is given in the Gantt Chart below.

Main Objectives:

1. To re-introduce the Pitcher irrigation or Matka Irrigation in arid Western Rajasthan.

2. To propose a modified sub-surface irrigation by changing shape, and introducing

mechanization.

3. To provide distinct materials specific to the location, required micro-structure and could

be locally manufacturable.

4. To overcome disadvantages of drip technology/micro irrigation (regarding energy,

many parts, water efficiency and also plastic use).

5. To bring in a technology which can provides assimilative nutrient to the roots

effectively.

51

6. To re-establish the multi-level perspective network between potter and farmer which

existed within the village.

Present Status:

Dr. Anand Plappally elaborated about the Picher irrigation system and its significance like, it

is good for preparing transplants or direct seeding, it enhance seed germination and

establishment in very hot, dry conditions, and it is more reliable than drip irrigation systems,

which are more likely to be clogged up by soil, salt, insects or damaged by animals, require flat

fields. He told that the main objectives of the project are to re-introduce the Pitcher irrigation

or Matka Irrigation in arid Western Rajasthan, and to propose a modified sub-surface irrigation

by changing shape and introducing mechanization. The system is currently under testing at

Gelabaas Village, Rudiya Village, Banad Village, IIT Jodhpur Experimental campus, and

Salawas village in Jodhpur.

We have to reduce water use energy, use improve root nutrition, improve irrigation efficiency

for a specific volume, decontaminate the soil and yet best yield (Compete with best in the

market).

Manufacturing process of G-filter - see the machine manual for steps (Fig. 57 - a to d). Drying

in shade for two days, then for 7-10 days under sun may vary with location (Fig. 57 - e). After

burning in a furnace (Fig. 58 -f). Porosity can be varied according to location and need for

water table management (Fig. 59).

Fig. 58 Photograph of Stages of Manufacturing

52

Fig. 59 Porosity can be varied according to location and need for water table

Even Neem oil medication being directly applied using the G-filter to get rid of root fungal

problems for the lemon crop (Fig. 60) at Esau Village, Sirohi district, Rajasthan, India.

Soil properties changes before and after the Porous Vessels were embedded. Test were

undertaken at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Paota, Jodhpur as shown in Table-2.

Fig. 60 Using the G-filter to get rid of root fungal problems for the lemon crop

Table-2: Test were undertaken at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Paota, Jodhpur

Standard Unit Normal Values Initial

Test

28/6/19

Initial

Analysis Near the

Porous Vessel,

11/09/2019

Centre of

the field,

11/09/2019

At boundary,

11/09/2019

pH 7.0 to 8.5, normal alkalinity

8.5-9.5(high alkalinity)

8.6 Moderately

alkaline

8.7

8.6

8.5 Electrical

Conductivity

( EC, dS/m)

Less than 1.5 (low), good

(1.5-3.0), more than 3 (more

salts)

1.36 Moderately

alkaline

0.33

0.19

0.18

Organic Carbon

(%) 0.5 (low), 0.5-0.75-

Medium, more than 0.75

(maximum)

0.1 less

0.13

0.13

0.11

Phosphorous

(P2O5kg/ha) 23.0 (low), 23-56- Medium,

more than 56 (maximum)

46 medium

26

49

36 Potash (K2O

kg/ha) 144 (Low), 144-336

Medium, more than 336

(maximum)

414 more

355

404

452

53

Zinc (ppm) More than 0.6 0.32

less

0.26 0.28 0.32

Iron (ppm) More than 4.5 1.82

less

1.94 1.7 1.86

Copper

(ppm) More than 0.2 0.48

normal

0.56 0.52 0.5

Manganese

(ppm) Less than 2 (normal soil)

More than 2 (More) 4.68 normal 4.42 4.54 4.96

2.1.12 Proposal for Improvement in the Batasha Making Process Phase-II

a) Principal Investigator: Dr. Vinay Gupta, IEC Greater Noida

b) Co-Principal Investigators: Mr. Nurul Hassan Laskar

c) Duration of Project: One Year

d) Project Commenced: December 01, 2019

e) Status: On-going

f) NGO partners: Lupin Human Welfare & Research

Foundation, 160-Krishna Nagar,

Bharatpur, Rajasthan

Summary:

Batasha is a very commonly known name in the households of Indian families. It is a traditional

sweet dish used in offerings to God and also used in Indian marriages. Sugar is used as its main

ingredient and is available at cheap rates hence is easily affordable by all categories of the

Indian society.

Batasha is prepared by making a mixture of water, sugar, milk, citric acid, retha and

hydrosulphite in appropriate amount. This mixture is heated in a pan called dhaura up to the

temperature 100-110 centigrade. After this, dhaura is taken form furnace and in the process

of continuous stirring and rubbing the drop of this mixture is dropped on plastic sheet through

a tool call Chidiya. The drop of mixture distends and after few seconds get solidify and batasha

is ready as shown in Fig. 61.

The batasha making process is tiring and unhygienic, to eradicate the same a set-up was

designed and build shown in Fig. 45 in the first phase of this project. The set-up is a three rack

setup which is slidable over the channels and one can adjust the height of the set-up as per the

users’ requirement. Also, it is modular in nature. Person can sit comfortably on the chair and

make batasha. The set-up takes care of both the issue of drudgery and hygiene (Fig. 62).

However, to make the set-up more user friendly and as per the feedback of the artisans the

furnace used to heat batasha solution is also to be lifted to the level of sitting person along with

some changes to improve stability and life of the setup.

54

Fig. 61: Batasha making process Fig. 62: Existing setup developed in Phase-I

Preliminary Investigation and Problem Identification:

On the basis of feedback of the batasha artisans, following modifications are proposed:

1. Furnace which is on the ground level it is to be redesigned to lift up so that artisan siting

on chair can work easily and conveniently.

2. In the existing setup plywood has been used as a material of the rack. It is observed that

plywood gets bend itself with time. It reduces the space between the racks which was

as per the height of batasha.

3. During the batasha making the setup has little sway movement.

4. Rigorous testing to study production rate is to be done.

Preliminary Objectives for the Improvement:

As per the problems in Section 2, following improvements are envisioned to be carried out as

a project:

1. Design of furnace so that the efficiency better than underground furnace can be

achieved.

2. Selection of suitable material for rack plate.

3. Rigorous testing to study production.

4. Some design modification related to assembly and stability.

Present Status:

To overcome the problems of traditional batasha making process a three rack setup was

developed under the project ‘Improvement in traditional batasha making process’. This project

further needs rigorous testing, modification in design and synchronisation of furnace with the

setup. In contrast of which we have done few testing, some modifications, etc. which are

mentioned below:

Visit to Ghantaghar, Naya Ganj, Ghaziabad on October 15, 2019 (Fig. 63):

Our motto to test the developed set-up and get the feedback.

55

Fig. 63 Testing of previous Setup

Feedback by batasha artisan and our observation:

● New plates should be fabricated. As the old ply has bend with time. Hence, material is

to be found out to make the plate of the rack.

● Plates covering with suitable material.

● Stability of setup is needed to be improved.

● Design and fabrication of chair for back support.

● Synchronisation of furnace for proper analysis of production.

Fabrication of new plates with covering material:

The plates with aluminium composite were fabricated to overcome the bending as well as

problem occurs with change in environment conditions (Fig. 64). The plates are covered with

thick cotton cloth (called as bashana).

Fig. 64 New Fabricated Plates

56

Second visit to Ghantaghar, Naya ganj, Ghaziabad on October 27, 2019 (Fig. 65):

After changing the plates and addressing stability issues the visit was organised to test the

same.

Fig. 65 Testing on the New Fabricated Plates

Design and fabrication of C-clamp shown in Figure 66 (a, b, and c):

C-clamp is designed and for the easy installation of nut and bolts which joins the base stand

and channel.

Fig. 66 (a) CAD model C-clamp Fig. 66 (b) Modified C-camp

Fig. 66 (c) CAD Model of New Modified Setup

57

Modified setup sent to Kolaghat, West Bengal:

During visit of Prof. S. K. Saha, PI, RuTAG, IIT Delhi to College of Engg. & Management,

Kolaghat, West Bengal, Prof. Dipak Kumar Mandal, Associate Professor, at the college shown

interest in Batasha set-up and requested for one set. Therefore, Prof. Saha asked us to send a

set-up to Prof. Mandal. One set-up was sent and reached safely (Fig. 67). The feedback on the

set-up is awaited from Prof. Mandal.

Fig. 67 Packed Setup Reached Safely at Kolaghat, West Bengal

2.1.13 Improvement in Bhilawa Seed Decortication Process

a) Principal Investigator: Dr. Vinay Gupta, IEC Greater Noida

b) Co-Principal Investigators: Dr. Mukesh Kumar, IEC Greater Noida

c) Duration of Project: One Year

d) Project Commenced: December 01, 2019

e) Status: On-going

f) NGO partners: KARuNaH Society for Development,

Bodkhi, Amla, Dist.- Betul, Madhya

Pradesh Summary:

Semecarpus anacardium (also known as Bhilawa in Hindi) is a plant whose seeds are

mainly used as medicines. It is also known as bibba in Marathi & Agnimukh in Sanskrit. It

is used cure many disease. Sanjivani Vati and Sanivani Gutika are few market products

made using bhilawa. Without purification it is poisonous along with its medicinal

properties. And the oil from its seeds can give blisters and painful wounds. Fig. 68 and 69

shows Bhilawa fruit and seed.

Fig. 68 Bhilawa Fruit Fig. 69 Bhilawa Seed

58

Preliminary Investigation and Problem Identification:

Traditionally in decortication process the shell is break with the help of a small metal rod

or stone while holding the seed with other hand (Fig. 70). During this process the hands

and some of the body parts come in contact with the oil which splashes due to hitting the

seed. Since the oil of the seed is toxic in nature it burns the skin wherever it splashes on the

body.

Fig. 70 Traditional Method of Bhilawa Decortication

Few years back TATA Centre of Technology and Design, IIT Bombay designed and

developed a machine (Fig. 71) for de-shelling the seeds of Bhilawa.

Fig. 71 Fully functional bhilawa de-shelling machine by TATA Centre of Technology

and Design, IIT Bombay

After study, following points revealed:

a) Decortication is done with the help of traditional method (by hands) or with the de-

shelling machine developed by TATA Centre of Technology and Design, IIT

Bombay. Both the process involves other hand to hold the seed, knowing the fact

that the oil of fruit is toxic in nature and while breaking its shell, oil can damage

fingers shoddily.

b) While performing the decortication process, oil splashes to exposed body parts.

This is another problem that also not taken care in the de-shelling machine

developed by TATA Centre of Technology and Design, IIT Bombay. There is no

protective shield (transparent plastic film or glass) installed in the front part of the

machine.

c) Time taken in decortication process of the fruit is quite a lot. Hence, it affects the

production of the seed.

59

Preliminary Objectives for the Improvement:

As per the problems in Section 2, following improvements are intended to be carried out

as a project:

a) Primary objective to develop machine tool to have absolute hand free experience

while breaking the shells of the fruit keeping other required safety measures.

Present Status:

A. Literature Review - The literature is as follows:

a. Some of the Available Techniques:

The two basic actions can be used to open the shell of a seed (nut). One is caused by an

impact on the seed against a hard object, or applying direct mechanical pressure to crush,

cut or shear through the shell. The stated actions can performed manually using knives,

hammers, simple presses, etc. Some the techniques used given below. Also, the action can

be used to make a machine (Fig. 72). A hand press machine for Bhilawa seed decortication

was developed by IIT Bombay (Fig. 73).

Centrifugal impact

decorticator

Peg and drum

decorticator

Bar and drum

decorticator

Parallel gap disc

decorticator Tapered gap disc

decorticator

Reciprocating

action decorticator

Parallel cylinder decorticator

Fig. 72 Action can be Used to Make a Machine

60

Fig. 73 Hand press deeloped by IIT Bombay

b. Study of Physical and Mechanical Properties:

Physical properties of Bhilawa fruit and seed (Table-3):

Sl.

No.

Properties Fruit Seed

1 Shape Obliquely ovoid nut Ovate, oblong to conical,

irregularly flattened

2 Size

Length= 2.5-3cm

Width= 2-2.5cm

Thickness= 0.4-4-0.5 cm

Length= 1.2-1.8 cm

Width= 0.8-1.4 cm

Thickness= 0.5-0.8 cm

3 Colour Brownish black Reddish-brown

4 Taste Acrid and highly irritating Slightly sweet and oily

5 Ridges Longitudinally wrinkled NA

6 Surface Smooth, shining Rough

Mechanical properties of Bhilawa fruit and seed (Table-4):

Sl. No. Mechanical properties Bhilawa fruit Seed (Kernel)

1 Rupture force (kg) 37.17 17.20

2 Deformation (mm) 3.61 2.65

3 Hardness (kg/mm) 10.82 6.49

4 Energy used for rupture (kg-mm) 134.80 45.58

5 Deformation at rupture point 0.20 0.11

61

B. Site Visit to Pattan Village in District of Betul, Madhya Pradesh on Nov. 16-19, 2019

(Fig. 74):

Two of our students Mr. Shekahar Chauhan and Mr. Sarthak Machkoria visited the Pattan

village, Betul, Madhya Pradesh with Mr. Suraj (Research Scholar, RuTAG, IIT Delhi) to gain

the experience how people their decorticating Bhilawa and to know their challenges.

Fig. 74 Womens Decoticating Bhilawa Seed

Following are the observations:

a. In this village, people generally purchase Bhilawa fruit bag weigh around 56 kg.

b. Cost of one bag is approimately Rs1000/-.

c. Out of that 56kgs of Bhilawa fruit, after decortication they got around 7 kg of seed and

6 litre of oil which is extracted from the waste shells of the fruit.

d. In the market, they sell seeds and oil. Selling price of seed is around Rs.400–500 per

kg and of oil is around Rs.10-20 per litre.

e. They get profit of around Rs. 600-1000 on each bag they purchase.

f. They use the method of breaking the Bhilawa seed with rod or stone.

g. For safety, they wrap their hands with cloth and wear the cloth apron also. The proper

safety measures were not available.

C. Design Ideas:

To ease the decortication process and increase the production level of bhilawa, two

design ideas are presented. One is manual (requires man power to operate) and the other

is motorized (it operates with the help of motor and toggle mechanism). This can also

be modified for manual operation.

a. Manual Machine (Fig. 75):

The manual machine uses the manually operated press principal where the person will

apply force with the help of a handle. Below is the image of the same for better

understanding.

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Fig. 75 CAD Model of the Manual Machine

b. The automatic machine adds up a piston-cylinder arrangement and powered with a motor

with the help of toggle mechanism. Below is the image of the automatic machine design

for better understanding (Fig. 76).

Fig. 76 CAD Model of Motorized Design

3. Follow-up Projects after Completion

3.1 A Device for Making Tulsi Mala Beads

3.1.1 Status after Completion

● One hundred thirty five devices were manufactured by Ms. Omwati Devi at Bharatpur.

● All sold.

● A new version of non-contact switch (Fig. 77 and 78) is under development.

63

3.1.2 Increased in Sales of Device after Modifications (Fig. 79)

The devices are being manufactured by a Carpenter in the Nadbai village, Bharatpur district,

Rajasthan. They have sold 135 devices, some locations in the area as mentioned below:

1. Chainpora, Bharatpur – 01

2. Khanwan, Bharatpur – 01

3. Raja Khera, Bharatpur – 03

4. Belara, Bharatpur – 01

5. Bharatpur district – 06

6. Deeg district – 01

7. Mahila Bal Vikas Gramudhyog

Shikshia Samiti, Bharatpur – 09

8. Dholpur district – 07

9. Alwar district – 10

10. Lupin Foundation, Bharatpur – 23

11. Ahmedabad, Gujarat – 02

12. Kolkata, West Bangal – 01

13. Nadiad, Gujarat - 01

14. Karnataka - 01

Fig. 78 Position of the fingers to start

the motor with Contactless Switch Fig. 77 Position of the fingers before

starting the motor with Contactless Switch

Fig. 79 Latest Developed of Tulsi Mala making Device

64

3.1.3 Buy RuTAG IIT Delhi products through FITT

A facility has been created by RuTAG IIT Delhi in collaboration with Foundation for

Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT Delhi under the scheme of

“Innovative Product Delivery” to sell the following field tested products directly to the

hands of the users on payment basis:

3. Animal Driven Prime Mover

4. Batasha making Process

5. Bullock Driven Tractor

6. Carpet Loom

7. Ground Water Level Measuring Device

8. Marble Artefacts

9. Potters Kiln for Pottery Items

10. Sheep Hair Shearing Machine

11. Treadle Pump

12. Tulsi Mala Making Device

13. Tulsi Mala Making Device for Bigger Beads

We intend the users to make payment to FITT, IIT Delhi based on the fabrication cost and

delivery charge quoted by the respective vendor of the above devices. The deposited fund will

be utilized by RuTAG IIT Delhi to manufacture and deliver the products to the users. The

following products were sold through FITT (Table-5).

The products were sold through FITT (Table-5):

Sl. No. RuTAG IIT Delhi Technologies Name of

Purchasers

Name & Address of Organization

Name of Technologies Qty.

1.

Tulsi Mala Making Device 01 Mr. Amit Jain

Shantidhara Dugdh Yojna

Sagar, Madhya Pradesh

Treadle Pump 01

Bullock Driven Tractor 01

Animal Driven Prime Mover 01

2. Tulsi Mala Making Device 02 Mr. Amar Pal Singh Nabha Power Limited (L&T Power

Development Limited). Rajpura, Punjab.

3. Tulsi Mala Making Device 02 Mr. Saumendra Das SAMPARK, 4th Lane, Nilachakra

Navarro, Athr Nala, Puri – 752002,

Odisha

4. Treadle Pump 01 Ms. Vinny R. Peter Centre for Urban Biodiversity

Conservation and Education (CUBE),

Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

5. Tulsi Mala Making Device 01 International Society for Krishna

Consciousness (ISKCON), Mathura, U.P.

6. Tulsi Mala Making Device 01 Dr. Jainendra

Shukla

Indraprastha Institute of Information

Technology, Delhi

7. Tulsi Mala Making Device 01 Ms. Madhumita House No. A/2, Mahanadi Bihar, Near

police outpost, And bakers Delite,

Cuttack, Odisha

8. Tulsi Mala Making Device 01 Mr. Rathore Korba, Bilashpur, Chhatisgarh

9. Tulsi Mala Making Device for

Bigger Beads

01 Mr. Sanjeev Kumar

Sharma

Kamda Mahila Agarbatti Udyog, Kasim

Bazar, Munger, Bihar

65

4. Reporting

4.1 Workshop Organised during April 01, 2019 – March 31, 2020

4.1.1 RuTAG IIT Delhi Regional workshop conducted on June 03, 2019 at Khamir,

Gujarat.

RuTAG IIT Delhi organised a Regional Workshop at Bhuj, Gujarat in collaboration with

KHAMIR, Bhuj, Gujarat during June 3-4, 2019. Three faculty from RuTAG IIT Delhi, Prof.

R. R. Gaur, Prof. S. K. Saha, and Prof. M. R. Ravi (Fig. 80), three project staff, Mr. Davinder

Pal Singh, Mr. Ashish Dahiya, Mr. Yashwant Prasad, one RuTAG Club Member, Mr. Rutvik

Solanki, and Mr. Raviveer Chaudhary, Assistant District Commissioner, DHC, Mr. Lal

Rambhia, Kutch Nav Nirman Sansthan, three persons from KHAMIR, Mr. Ghatit Laheru, Mr.

Shouryamoy, and Mr. Harish Hurmade along with 25 other delegates from various NGOs,

institutions, and other organizations have attended the workshop. Prof S. K. Saha welcomed

all the participants with his warmth gratitude and explained the RuTAG concepts and work,

followed by the introduction of the participants. Prof. Saha presented the RuTAG technologies

and interventions such as Bullock Driven Tractor, Treadle Pump, Ground Water Measurement

Device, Sheep Shearing Device, Tulsi Mala Making Device, etc. Prof. Ravi presented the

furnace related technologies such as Improvement of Bangle making furnace at Bharatpur,

Rajasthan, updraft potter’s kiln with the use of rat-trap technology, and bell metal furnace. Mr.

Ghatit Laheru, Mr. Jigar Vaidya, and Mr. Shouryamoy Das presented about the technologies

on which Khamir is working on such as Wool Development programmes in collaboration with

Gujarat Sheep and Wool Development Board, Bhuj, supporting Copper bell making artisans,

and other textile related technologies. They also presented some technical interventions

required for the artisans near Bhuj. Prof. Gaur, along with session chairs, had conducted the

Conclusion session in which he stated the steps to be taken for resolving the technical problems

that were proposed by the participants. At the end, Prof. Saha and Prof. Gaur thanked the

participants and invited them to join the field visit to nearby villages to look into the technical

interventions required for them on the next day.

Fig. 80 Prof. M. R. Ravi, Mr. Raviveer Chaudhary, Prof. S. K. Saha, Prof. R. R.

Gaur, Mr. Lal Rambhia, and Mr. Ghatit Laheru during the RuTAG Regional

Workshop at Bhuj, Gujarat

66

Next day (June 4, 2019), RuTAG IITD team along with Khamir team and some other

Workshop participants visited Nana Reha Village where the work for making swords and

knives was going on (Fig. 81). The artisan showed his work and the furnace to the team for

better understanding. They were using mechanical hammer machine for sharpening of the

swords and a furnace for heating of the material upto the moulding temperature. The team

noticed the living conditions and the techniques of the villagers to suggest some possible

interventions.

After that Mr. Ghatit Laheru took RuTAG IITD team and other participants to Zura village

where about 35 families are working on making traditional copper bells (Fig. 82). The main

issue with the existing process is that the artisans could bake only one or two bells at a time

and the way the furnace is being used is also not efficient and it consumes a lot of raw material.

These technological inputs that were required to boost the livelihood of the community were

noted down and Prof. Ravi from RuTAG IIT Delhi will be working on the same. Khamir had

initially done some improvisations regarding the furnace in which the villagers bake the bells

for uniform coating of copper. But still some significant improvisations are required which can

help the artisans to improve their productivity and to reduce the time and raw material

consumption. After that the delegates visited a pottery cluster in Bhuj, where team noted some

of the problems such as requirement of improvement in pottery kiln (Fig. 83), sieving of clay

through screen, etc. After that team visited Hunnershala where Mr. Mahavir Acharya showed

the campus made up of several organic building materials. Ms. Barkha invited RuTAG team

to visit Shrujan LLDC campus, where they showed some museum preservation techniques that

have been implemented for long lasting age of craft displayed. Then Mr. Raviveer Chaudhary

invited RuTAG team to attend the on-going “Shilpotsav” event at Bhuj Haat. Prof. Saha, Mr.

Davinder Pal Singh, and Mr. Ashish Dahiya attended the programme from RuTAG Team and

Fig. 81 Sword and Knife Manufacturing Facility at Nana Reha

67

Fig. 82 Artisans Demonstrating the Copper Bell Manufacturing Process at Zura village

Mr. Ghatit Laheru attended the programme from Khamir. There Mr. Raviveer welcomed the

event participants and artisans, He invited Prof. Saha and Mr. Singh to dais. Prof. Saha

addressed the participants and distributed the participation certificates to the artisans. At the

end, Prof. Saha and Mr. Davinder Pal Singh thanked Mr. Raviveer and the participants and

returned back to Khamir.

Fig. 83 Visiting Potters Community in Bhuj

4.1.2 RuTAG IIT Delhi Regional workshop conducted on December 16, 2019 In Collaboration

with Human Social Welfare Society, Hathras held at Hotel Wingston, Masani, Mathura,

Uttar Pradesh.

RuTAG IIT Delhi, in association with Human Social Welfare Society, Hathras, organized a

one-day regional workshop in Hotel Wingston, Mathura on December 16, 2019 [Fig. 84 (a)

and (b)]. This workshop primarily focused on Tulsi Mala Bead Making Device. Around 20

artisans who make Tulsi beads for their livelihood attended the workshop. Artisans hailed from

a nearby village Jait, and some came from Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Apart from the artisans, there

were representatives from various government and voluntary organizations such as DC

68

Handicrafts, NABARD, RSETI, Ministry of Textiles, Ministry for MSME, Lupin Foundation,

Jan Vikas Sansthan, and Adarsh Yuva Samiti.

Fig. 84 (a): Core committee on Dias during Regional Workshop of RuTAG IIT

Delhi at Hotel Wingston, Mathura, U.P.

Mr. Davinder Pal Singh (Project Associate, RuTAG IIT Delhi) initiated the workshop by

greeting the participants. Prof. S. K. Saha, Coordinator – RuTAG IITD, welcomed the audience

and mentioned that this workshop would be primarily focussing on the Tulsi Mala device. He

then requested the participants to introduce themselves so that the participants get acquainted

with each other. Prof. R. R. Gaur, Chairman, Core Group, RuTAG IITD delivered the welcome

address wherein he stressed the importance of premier institutes like IITs channelling their

research toward the improvement of rural livelihoods. He also mentioned how field-based need

identification is a crucial part of problem-solving. He also thanked the govt. organizations for

attending the workshop and apprised the audience about the role of govt. organizations and

ministries in the development and dissemination of technologies. Prof. Saha and Prof. M. R.

Ravi later explained in brief about various technologies developed and disseminated by

RuTAG IIT Delhi. In the next session, organizations presented their work, schemes available

for the artisans, and they put forward some of the technical difficulties faced by the artisans.

Post lunch, Mr. Yashwant Prasad conducted a game where the artisans formed groups of five

and tried to assemble the Tulsi Mala Device, whose parts were kept in a disassembled state on

the table [Figure 84 (c)]. Later, Prof. Saha, Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta, and Mr. Yashwant Prasad,

took the audience through the journey of Tulsi Mala Bead Making Device with the help of

presentations. After that, Ms. Omwati and Mr. Laxman demonstrated the use of the new Tulsi

Mala Bead Making Device to other artisans. Later each of the artisans was trained by them to

use the device and make beads. Artisans liked the new device and were eager to try it out more

so that they could use the device on a regular basis.

Prof. Saha and Prof. Gaur concluded the session by taking feedback and comments from the

audience. Mr. Dharmender from HSWS proposed the vote of thanks.

69

Figure 84 (b): Group photo of RuTAG IITD Team and Participants of the Workshop

Figure 84 (c): Demonstration and Training of Tulsi Mala Bead making device during the

workshop

4.1.3 RuTAG Management Development Programme at IIT Delhi during October 2-4,

2019 (In association with IIT Kharagpur).

Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) is continuously working on the transformational

practice of technology development incorporating Government agencies, NGOs, Researchers

and Academicians with in intent to deliver innovative interventions in rural sectors. The prime

70

mission of RuTAG is to ameliorate the rural systems to the most efficient level for upgrading

the rural economy.

A three-day program entitled “Management Development Program (MDP) on Rural

Entrepreneurship” was organized from October 2-4, 2019, at IIT Delhi [Fig. 84 (a) and (b)]

that took the participants through an engaging discussion that would help in facilitating people

interested in becoming a competent rural entrepreneur and setting up a rural enterprise.

The inauguration session was graced by Dr. Ketaki Bapat, Scientist ‘F’, Principal Scientific

Adviser to the Government of India; Prof. S. K. Saha, Coordinator and Principal Investigator,

RuTAG IIT Delhi; Mr. Varun Vidyarthi, Director, Manovodaya, Lucknow, U.P. The MDP was

coordinated by Prof. Varun Ramamohan of IIT Delhi and Prof. Bhaskar Bhowmik from

Rajendra Mishra School of Engineering Entrepreneurship, IIT Kharagpur. Prof. Bhowmik gave

a brief insight about the orientation and theme behind this program. Prof. Bhowmick mentioned

the theme of this program centered around the question as to how one goes form a technological

solution developed to solve a local rural problem to a full-fledged enterprise that manufactures,

markets, and distributes a product to make a sustainable outcome.

The participants were made aware of the basics; what is a product, difference between product

and service, what is a rural enterprise and its importance, what are the various business models,

critical success factors for setting up rural enterprise, assessing marketability. The program also

offered the participants an excellent idea to various theories of Techno-Management practices

such as Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Information Technology, Skill-Development,

Supply Chain Management, Quality Improvement. The participants also got an exposure to

various complexities, uncertainties, challenges associated with rural enterprises.

4.1.4 RuTAG Workshop held on August 11, 2019 as a part of Tech4Seva 2019.

A RuTAG workshop was held on August 11, 2019 as a part of Tech4Seva 2019 organised by

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan and Vigyan Bharti. The workshop was held in LH 408 of the Lecture

Hall Complex at IIT Delhi. The session was chaired by Dr. Ketaki Bapat (Fig. 87, Front Left),

Scientist F, Office of the PSA, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Following speakers were present

namely Prof. V. K. Vijay, Coordinator UBA; Prof. S. K. Saha (Fig. 87, Front Right),

Fig. 85 (a): Participants during

RuTAG IIT Delhi MDP Programme

Fig. 85 (b): Group photo of the participants of

RuTAG IIT Delhi MDP Programme

71

Coordinator/Principal Investigator, RuTAG IIT Delhi; and Prof. Vivek Kumar, CRDT, IIT

Delhi. Workshop was attended by 38 participants (See the list in Appendix I) which included

representatives from UBA Regional Coordinating Institutes (RCI) and various RuTAGs

centers.

Fig. 86 Audience members from UBA RCIs and various RuTAGs Centres

Prof. Saha introduced the chairperson to the audience and asked the audience members to

introduce themselves shown in Fig. 86.

Dr. Bapat welcomed the gathering and explained to the audience, the concept of RuTAG, how

it came into being, and its objectives. She also said that it is important to build a synergy

between UBA RCIs and RuTAG centres so that it will strengthen the impact of both UBA and

RuTAGs not just nationally but also at the international level. Dr. Bapat mentioned that the

PSA office operates alongside the Prime Ministers Office and that the office is in a position to

coordinate with other ministries such as MSME, DoNER, MHRD etc. togather to pull resources

and facilitate the smooth functioning of RCIs and RuTAGs.

Prof. Saha spoke about the strengths of respective units. The UBA RCIs have strengths on

grassroots reach, a vast network of institutes, and social awareness, whereas RuTAGs have the

technical experience from 7 IITs. He also emphasised that the RuTAGs and the PSA office has

an experience of 15 years of problem solving and making demand-driven interventions in rural

areas. On these lines, the panel proposed a model wherein RCIs can refer the identified

technical problems to their regional RuTAG centre and can join hands with it in solving the

technical problems before the same would be implemented by the UBA RCIs. Prof. Saha also

suggested that RuTAGs could also consider funding some projects (in addition to the Rs. 1.00

lakhs by UBA) if the need arises. Later, he asked for feedback and suggestions from the RCIs

and RuTAGs representatives on the proposal.

72

Fig. 87 Souvenir handover to Dr. Ketaki Bapat by Prof. S. K. Saha

Discussion keypoints:

i. Since the concept of RuTAG was new to most of the RCI representatives, they

requested an orientation session for all the RCIs.

ii. All the RCI representatives were in agreement with the proposal and agreed that it

would build a good synergy between the two units.

iii. Dr. Bapat and Prof. Saha clarified that this was the first meeting and that things are

in the initial stage. The proposal would be discussed with The PSA and the Secretary,

MHRD for their inputs and suggestions before moving forward.

The workshop was ended with a vote of thanks by Prof. Saha.

5. Field visit held during Financial Year 2019 – 2020 (April 01, 2019 – March

31, 2020).

5.1 National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR),

Hyderabad, Telangana.

Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta, Mr. Davinder Pal Singh and Prof. S. K. Saha from RuTAG IIT Delhi

visited Hyderabad during April 20-25, 2019 for the exhibition of RuTAG Technologies in

National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR).

5.2 Installation of Treadle Pumps at Deoria, Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Mangal Sharma from RuTAG IIT Delhi visited Deoria, U. P. for installation of Treadle

Pump during May 16-20, 2019.

73

5.3 RuTAG IIT Delhi team visit to Yamunotri, Uttarakhand.

Mr. Suraj Bhat, Mr. Davinder Pal Singh and Mr. Yashwant Prasad from RuTAG IIT Delhi

visited Yamunotri for design interventions required in Palki during June 24-28, 2019.

5.4 Installation of Metallic Carpet Loom at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.

Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta and Mr. Mangal Sharma from RuTAG IIT Delhi visited Pithoragard,

Uttarakhand during July 5-9, 2019 for installation, demonstration training of weavers/artisan

on metallic carpet loom developed by RuTAG IIT Delhi.

5.5 Visit to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Central Office and Composting Sites

during July 29-31, 2019.

The meeting was held on July 30, 2019 at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Central Office

with Mr. Vinay Kumar, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) at SMVDS Board. The RuTAG

Project team members Prof. Balbir Singh, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University and Dr. Kalpana

Arora from Centre for Technology and Development (CTD) attended the meeting.

Role of RuTAG Team:

Since, the Shrine board had tried the vermicomposting of mule dung in the past also but could

not get materialised. Now, under the RuTAG project “Development of vertical

vermicomposting system for Mule dung at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Katra” the

vermicomposting unit after developing at SMVDU, Kakryal, Katra, J&K will be installed for

the field trials at Shrine Board Mule Dung Composting site at village Natali, for field trials.

After successful operationalization of said one unit, same can be scaled up with financial

support and direction from Shrine Board.

5.6 Installation of Metallic Carpet Loom at Jain Art, Banskho, Tehsil-Bassi, Jaipur,

Rajasthan.

Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta and Mr. Mangal Sharma from RuTAG IIT Delhi visited Banskho, Jaipur,

Rajasthan during September 11 – 13, 2019 for installation, demonstration and training of

weavers/artisan on metallic carpet loom developed by RuTAG IIT Delhi.

5.7 Demonstration of Sheep Hair Shearing Machine developed by IIT Delhi at CSWRI,

Avikanagar, Rajasthan.

Mr. Ashish Dahiya, Mr. Mangal Sharma, Mr. Srijan Prabhakar, and Mr. Sumit Kumar visited CSWRI,

Avikanagar, Rajasthan during September 22-24, 2019 for demonstration of Sheep Hair Shearing Device

developed by IIT Delhi.

74

5.8 Mr. Suraj Bhat presented a paper entitled “Design Analysis of Wooden Palanquin

used in Yamunotri Dham” in IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference at

Seattle, USA during October 17-20, 2019.

Mr. Suraj Bhat, Ph. D. student at IIT Delhi, presented a paper entitled “Design Analysis of the Wooden

Palanquin Used in Yamunotri Dham” in the IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference held

in Seattle, WA during October 17- 20, 2019. The conference was focused on humanitarian activities

going across the globe and there were presentations on different technologies developed with a focus

of betterment of the society.

5.9 Mr. Suraj Bhat and Mr. Davinder Pal Singh visited EPICS at Purdue University in

Indianapolis, USA during October 22-25, 2019.

Mr. Suraj Bhat and Mr. Davinder Pal Singh (Project Associate, RuTAG IITD) later visited EPICS (Fig.

88) at Purdue University in Indianapolis, USA during October 22-25, 2019. EPICS Purdue program

solves community problems globally. Since September 2017 EPICS has acquainted students to RuTAG

program and ever since students have taken up three different problems and have tried to provide

solutions with different perspectives. The objective of the visit was to have a personal experience of the

EPICS program by meeting students, staff, faculty and visiting their labs. Also, EPICS and Shah Global

Innovation Labs at Purdue university have expressed their willingness to jointly solve the community

problems along with RuTAG IITD.

Fig. 88 Evan Hultman, Joshua Brody, Vivek Talapeneni, Davinder Pal Singh, Suraj Bhat,

Mrigank Sharma, and Ali Brown

During the same visit, Mr. Singh and Mr. Bhat met Ms. Pallavi Gupta, Assistant director of

Programs at Shah Family Global Innovation Lab at Purdue. The lab funds projects from across

the world that is focused on the humanitarian issues. Since RuTAG IIT Delhi works on similar

projects, she invited RuTAG to participate in the program, wherein, a Faculty-student group

from Purdue will work with a Faculty-student group at IIT Delhi to solve global problems.

5.10 Site Visit to Pattan Village in District of Betul, Madhya Pradesh on Nov. 16-19, 2019:

Two of our students Mr. Shekahar Chauhan and Mr. Sarthak Machkoria visited the Pattan

village, Betul, Madhya Pradesh on November 16-19, 2019 with Mr. Suraj (Research Scholar,

RuTAG, IIT Delhi) to gain the experience how people their decorticating Bhilawa and to know

their challenges.

75

5.11 Mr. Davinder Pal Singh and Ms. Sajja Sai Priyanka (an Intern) visited Bharatpur

for field survey regarding Bangle Making furnace, Potter’s Kiln, and Tulsi Mala Making

Device on November 18, 2019.

5.12 Mr. Yashwant Prasad and Ms. Sajja Sai Priyanka visited Jait village, Mathura,

U. P. for testing of Modified Tulsi Mala Making Device and field survey on November 25,

2019.

5.13 RuTAG Technologies displayed in Desi Oon Exhibition at Bikaner House, Delhi

(Fig. 89) organized by an NGO (Khamir, Bhuj, Gujarat) during Jan. 10-13, 2020 with

Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta, Mr. Mangal Sharma, and Mr. Yashwant Prasad.

Fig. 89 Display of Sheep Shearing Device in Desi Oon Exhibition at Bikaner House

6. Other Salient Activities during Financial Year 2019 – 2020 (April 01, 2019

– March 31, 2020)

6.1 Logo of Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) IIT Delhi

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6.2 A Compendium on Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) of 52 Technologies

from 7 IITs

6.3 Rural Technology Development and Delivery Conference Proceedings published by

Springer

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6.4 Rural Innovative Techno-hunt: A Technical Challenge to Identify Rural Problems

and Suggest Solutions - Organized by RuTAG IIT Delhi

6.5 RuTAG IIT Delhi published Newsletter by annually

a. RuTAG IIT Delhi published its 12th newsletter (Vol. 7, No. 2) about all RuTAG centre

activities in July 2019

b. RuTAG IIT Delhi published its 13th newsletter (Vol. 8, No. 1) about all RuTAG centre

activities in January 2020

6.6 RuTAG Technologies Displayed in Open House at IIT Delhi on April 20, 2019

(Fig. 90).

Fig. 90 Display of Technologies Developed by RuTAG IIT Delhi

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6.7 RuTAG Club IIT Delhi participated in ‘Tour of Stalls’ on July 27-28, 2019 (Fig. 91).

The aim was to sensitise the new students joining IIT Delhi about the activities of

RuTAG Club IIT Delhi.

Fig. 91 RuTAG Club IIT Delhi participated in Tour of Stalls on July 27-28, 2019

6.8 RuTAG IIT Delhi demonstrated of its technologies in Tech4Seva at LHC, IIT Delhi

campus during August 10 – 12, 2019.

6.9 RuTAG Club Orientation and Felicitation programme was held at LHC, IIT Delhi on

August 30, 2019 (Fig. 92).

Fig. 92 Prof. Sangeeta Kohli giving certificate to winner of RuTAG IIT Delhi Technohunt

6.10 RuTAG IIT Delhi presented posters of its technologies in Industry Day at IIT

Delhi campus on September 21, 2019 (Fig. 93).

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.

Fig. 93 Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi visiting RuTAG IITD stall during

Industry Day 2019

6.11 RuTAG IIT Delhi team attended 2nd International Conference on "Rural

Technology Development and Delivery" (RTDD-2020) was held on March 12-14, 2020 at

IIT Madras.

The 2nd International Conference on "Rural Technology Development and Delivery" (RTDD-

2020) was held on March 12-14, 2020 at IIT Madras. The conference was attended by Mr.

Suraj Bhat, Mr. Yashwant Prasad, Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta and Mr. Davinder Pal Singh from

RuTAG IIT Delhi.

7. RuTAG IIT Delhi’s Collaboration with Purdue’s EPICS Programme.

We are a team of students working as a part of Purdue University’s EPICS program. We are

currently collaborating with RuTAG IIT Delhi to create a design for a bullock driven tractor

which will aid rural farmers in India. We started this project as a way to not only build a strong

relationship between IIT Delhi and Purdue, but also to make a difference in the quality of life

of struggling farmers in India. Through our collaboration with the RuTAG group, we have

discovered that we need to improve the design of an existing bullock driven tractor in three

main ways:

By creating a consistent, and mechanically simple mechanism for lifting farming

attachments which will allow the tractor to make turns without draining the bullock’s

energy.

By designing wheels which will allow the tractor to drive across multiple different

surfaces since currently the tractor struggles to plow through clay or wet soil.

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By improving the overall ergonomics of the tractor via improvements to sitting

condition over the course of long-term usage.

We are currently coming up with design ideas for creating an efficient lifting mechanism for

farming attachment by pulling inspiration from simple machines such as levers, pulleys, and

gear systems. We are able to make great progress on our project with the assistance of the

RuTAG group, and their invaluable feedback and critique. The whole experience our team has

had working with the RuTAG group thus far has been overwhelmingly positive due to their

responsiveness, expertise, and support. We are excited to continue our relationship with the

RuTAG group and IIT Delhi and provoke real change throughout India.

Mr. Mrigank Sharma, Mr. Evan Hultman, Mr. Joshua Brody,

Mr. Vivek Talapeneni, and Ms. Ali Brown,

B. E. Students, Purdue University, USA

8. Internship at RuTAG IIT Delhi

In my one-month internship at RuTAG, IIT Delhi I gained an understanding of the functioning

of RuTAG and the various technological interventions made to enhance rural livelihood by

promoting rural entrepreneurs.

During the internship, I had the opportunity to visit Bharatpur and Mathura, where I observed

various clusters such as Tulsi mala makers, Furnace for jointless glass bangles and Pottery kiln.

Here, I observed their processes and the technological interventions provided by IIT Delhi.

With regards to Tulsi mala maker, I made observations and tried analyzing as to why the users

behaved in a certain manner eg. social norms, rumors, traditional thinking, resistance to change

etc., and have also made recommendations to enhance the acceptability of the product among

the rural consumers. I definitely had an enriching experience at RuTAG, IIT Delhi.

I had a great privilege working under Prof. S. K. Saha and Prof. Richa Kumar and also the

amazing team of RuTAG IIT Delhi, who have always supported, encouraged and inspired me,

and have been very patient in explaining me everything. Thank you!

Sajja Sai Priyanka, Intern, RuTAG IIT Delhi, M. A., Social Innovation and

Entrepreneurship, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tuljapur, Maharashtra

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