Minutes of the Core Group meeting on August 05, 2020

Minutes of the Core Group meeting of RuTAG IIT Delhi was held on August 05, 2020 (Wednesday) during 14:00 – 17:00 through on-line on Microsoft Team 

September 27, 2020

Due to COVID-19 pandemic on-line meeting of the Core Group of RuTAG IIT Delhi was held on August 05, 2020 using Microsoft Team under the chairmanship of Prof. R. R. Gaur. Following were present:

  1. Prof. R. R. Gaur, Chairman, Core Group, RuTAG IIT Delhi
  2. Dr. Ketaki Bapat, Scientist ‘F’ Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Govt. of India, Vigyan Bhawan Annexe, New Delhi
  3. Prof. S. K. Saha, Coordinator/PI, RuTAG IIT Delhi
  4. Prof. Sangeeta Kohli, Co-PI, RuTAG IIT Delhi
  5. Prof. M. R. Ravi, Co-PI, RuTAG IIT Delhi
  6. Prof. Deepak Kumar, ITMMEC, IIT Delhi
  7. Prof. R. Chattopadhyay, Textile Engg., IIT Delhi
  8. Prof. S. P. Singh, ME, IIT Delhi
  9. Prof. Satyawati Sharma, CRDT, IIT Delhi
  10. Dr. Kalpana Arora, CTD-SESS, New Delhi
  11. Dr. Balbir Singh, SMVDU, Katra, J&K
  12. Dr. Vinay Gupta, IEC Greater Noida, U.P.
  13. Dr. Anand Krishanan Plappaly, IIT Jodhpur
  14. Mr. Hemant Sharma, Lupin Human Welfare & Research Foundation, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, (NGO Expert)
  15. Mr. S. R. Azad, Madhya Pradesh Vigyan Sabha (MPVS), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
  16. Dr. Susha Lekshmi, Project Consultant (part-time), RuTAG IIT Delhi
  17. Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta, Senior Project Assistant, RuTAG IIT Delhi
  18. Mr. Davinder Pal Singh, Project Associate, RuTAG IIT Delhi
  19. Mr. Suraj Bhat, Research Scholar, RuTAG IIT Delhi
  20. Mr. Yashwant Prasad, Project Associate, RuTAG IIT Delhi
  21. Mr. Mangal Sharma, Project Attendant, RuTAG IIT Delhi
  22. Mr. Harsh Sharma, Assistant on Contract, RuTAG IIT Delhi

Prof. S. K. Saha welcomed and introduced all the members of the core group, PIs, and Co-PIs. of RuTAG IIT Delhi sub-projects, NGOs, expert/field agency, and project staff. With the permission of the Chairman, he started the proceedings of the meeting as per the agenda. 

Agenda item No. 1: Confirmation of the minutes of the last meeting of the Core Group The minutes of the meeting of the Core Group of RuTAG IIT Delhi that was held on October 31, 2019 were already circulated to all the members/participants of the Core Group. No comment was received. Hence, the minutes of the last meeting were deemed as confirmed.

A.Status of all Projects: 
Prof. Saha briefly explained RuTAG IITD activities (i.e., on-going projects, completed projects, visits, exhibitions, publications, etc.). Citing the COVID 19 pandemic situation and prevailing lockdown at various places throughout India, he proposed to extend all the on-going projects till March 31, 2021. The Chairman agreed to the said extension. 

Dr. Ketaki Bapat apprised the Core Group regarding her informal on-line meeting with Dr. Rakesh Ranjan (Additional Secretary Ministry of Education), Mr. Prashant (Director), and Prof. K. Vijay (Coordinator, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan or UBA) on July 27, 2020. The objective of the meeting was to realize the importance of collaboration between RuTAG and UBA, and to concretize the roadmap and mechanism to fulfil the said objectives. The outcome of the meeting was as follows:   

i. RuTAG will provide technical assistance to the problems listed by UBA. 
ii. Problem statements received by UBA will be shared with the Office of the PSA, who can filter out and distribute them to various RuTAG centers. 
iii. Field trials and dissemination of the technologies developed by RuTAG will be jointly addressed by UBA and RuTAG. 
 

Office of the PSA will establish a proper mechanism to streamline the vision. Citing new education policy and vision of the PMO in empowering R&D activities by strengthening S&T infrastructure, Dr. Bapat emphasized that the Core Group RuTAG IIT Delhi should consider working towards modifying and broadening RuTAG mandate to fulfil the said objectives.
 

Remarks by Chairman

The efforts and the outcome of the meeting are welcome and very encouraging. To maintain liaison of the collaborative activity, UBA Coordinator who is also RuTAG member should also participate in RuTAG meetings or send a representative for the same.

PIs/Project Staff of sub-projects presented the status of their ongoing projects. Comments and remarks for the same are as follows:

i.Prevention of Stone Dust Inhalation for Stone Carvers at Bharatpur, Rajasthan (PIs: Dr. Debabrata Das Gupta and Dr. Bahni Ray, ME, IIT Delhi)
Mr. Suraj told that developed prototypes were tested at IIT Delhi. Field tests will be conducted post lockdown relaxations granted by the MHA.

ii.Bangle making furnace (Phase-II) (PIs: Prof. S. Kohli; Prof. M. R. Ravi; Prof. S. K. Saha) 

Prof. Ravi appraised that various parts required as per the modified design of the furnace were fabricated at IIT Delhi. Furnace will be assembled post lockdown relaxation, which will be transferred to the identified places and field trial will be conducted for the same.

iii.Design Improvement of Tulsi Mala Making Device. (PI: Prof. S. K. Saha) 

From training it was established that speed reduction is required for smoother function. The new design take core of it using belt and pulley. It will be fabricated and tested in the field soon.

iv.Adaptation of Sheep-hair Shearing Machine Developed by IIT Delhi, Phase-III (PI: Prof. S. K. Saha) 

Mr. Ashish told that a complete sheep shearing device has been sold by RuTAG IIT Delhi to an NGO in Ladakh. It will be dispatched soon. A new vendor has been identified who will manufacture complete sheep shearing device. Device developed by the vendor will be ready for trial soon.
Prof. Saha told that Office of the PSA will help in recovering the balance amount pending from CWDB, Ministry of Textiles.

v.Multi-layer facility for Vermicomposting at Katra, Jammu (Prof. Satyawati Sharma, CRDT, IIT Delhi; Prof. S. K. Saha, ME, IIT Delhi; Dr. Kalpana Arora, CTD-SESS, New Delhi; Dr. Balbir Singh, SMVDU, Katra, J&K)

Dr. Kalpana told that successful trials of composting horse dung and cow dung have been conducted in Micro Model Complex (IIT Delhi). It took 60 days to compost both the dungs. Multilayer structure design has been finalized and will be fabricated post lockdown.
Dr. Balbir Singh told that shrine board assistance and clearance are still awaited for field testing. A prototype was developed by his B. Tech students for the shrine board.

Remarks
Overall progress of the project was found to be satisfactory. Considering Dr. Balbir’s request to help initiate the activity of the project in the field, the Office of the PSA will coordinate with the Shrine Board. Dr. Kalpana and Dr. Balbir were asked to share the report and presentation of the ongoing work with the Office of the PSA and RuTAG and then Dr. Bapat will take it forward.

vi.Improvement in the Design of Coconut Tree Climber for Muthalamada, Palakkad, Kerala (Prof. S. P. Singh, ME, IIT Delhi)
Prof. Singh mentioned that design improvements have been made to the climber after the trails at Kerala, and it needs to be fabricated. He expressed need for manpower to accomplish the same.

Remarks 
No additional manpower is possible. RuTAG staff should be able to contribute. Mr. Davinder Pal Singh along with Mr. Mangal Sharma will help in fabricating the modified design.

vii.Development of more Ergonomic and Efficient Street Sizing System for Chirala Handloom Cluster (Dr. Samrat Mukhopadhyay, Textile, IIT Delhi) 
Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta told that the design has been finalized, fabrication work is about 60% complete, and the rest will be completed soon. After fabrication, we are planning to conduct a test in Textile Dept., IIT Delhi then send it to the concerned NGO at Chirala (Andhra Pradesh) for testing.

viii.Design,    Improvement    and    Fabrication    of   New   Model    Charkha   (Prof.   R. Chatopadhyay, Textile, IIT Delhi)
Mr Raj Kumar told that a ten-spindle charkha has been procured from Gondal and sitting arrangement for the same has been designed and will be fabricated soon after lockdown relaxation. Trials to test various ergonomics parameters will be conducted at Sagar with the concerned NGO.

ix.Dissemination of Improved Metallic Carpet Looms Developed by IIT Delhi for Carpet Weavers at Jaipur, Rajasthan (Prof. S. K. Saha, ME, IIT Delhi)
Three looms have been sent to three different locations. One at RCWPDS, Jaipur (Rajasthan) another one is at Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand) and a third one at Warangal (Andhra Pradesh) for field testing.

x.Improvement in Bhilawa Seed Decortication Process at Betul district, Madhya Pradesh (Dr. Vinay Gupta, IEC Greater Noida) 
Mechanized concept design for the decorticator of Bhilawa seeds has been developed. CAD models were prepared and it will be fabricated soon.

Remarks: 
A comprehensive market study of the existing decorticating machines should be conducted for understanding the possibility of their direct application with minor or major changes in the design.

xi.Proposal for Improvement in the Batasha Making Process Phase-II (Dr. Vinay Gupta, IEC Greater Noida) 
Improvement in the device has been incorporated as per the feedback received after trials at various places. New materials have been used to replace with the wooden ply. CAD models for the workbench level furnace were prepared.

xii.Mound based Sub-Surface Irrigation, Jodhpur, Rajasthan (Prof. Anand Krishnan Plappally, IIT Jodhpur) 
Prof. Anand told that the objectives of the mound-based irrigation are de-salting the soil, increasing carbon contents of the soil, and making it more conducive for larger areas to grow vegetables. 10-15 farmers are from nearby villages are interested in the said technology.

Remarks

Investment cost and returns per acre should be estimated before disseminating it to poor farmers.

A.New projects under consideration:  
All new projects approved during the meeting which are mentioned below:

i.Intervention in Earthen Tawa making process for Pahari Village, Bharatpur, Rajasthan  
Demand for the said project was raised by Lupin Foundation. Prof. Sangeeta Kohli, Prof. M. R. Ravi along with team from the said NGO visited Pahari village, Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Observed the existing art of manufacturing tawa and its firing. New manufacturing processes were proposed for better remuneration of the product and to make it sellable in competitive market. Energy audit for the said process will be done post lockdown relaxation to propose and install alternative firing methods and kilns in the field.

ii.Decentralized Affordable Carding Machine, Bhuj, Gujarat  
Demand to develop a miniature and low-cost carding machine was raised by an NGO from Bhuj, Gujarat. The need has been analyzed by conducting the online survey of the stakeholders. The concept of the scaled down version as per the need will be evolved after discussion with the identified existing carding machine manufacturers. Prof. R. Chattopadhyay was requested to help in this project.

iii.Device for Teleoperation of Face Mask
A concept for attaching and detaching the mask on the face without directly touching it with hand has been introduced to reduce the chances of spreading the infection has been designed. A concept note for the same has been prepared by Dr. Vinay Gupta. 

iv.Vending Cart for fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Demand for the cart was raised by Ministry of Panchayati Raj. The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) is coordinating the project. All RuTAG centers will jointly work on the said project and contribute in terms of finance and manpower. The division for the same will be decided later. RuTAG IIT Bombay will take the lead and coordinate the activity. Each RuTAG center will propose a design. Designs will be shortlisted after a joint meeting with Panchayati Raj Ministry.

2.Reporting

Regional workshop   
RuTAG IIT Delhi conducted the workshop on December 16, 2019 in Collaboration with Human Social Welfare Society, Hathras at Hotel Wingston, Masani, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.

Publications

  1. RuTAG IIT Delhi published its 13th newsletter (Vol. 8, No. 1) about all RuTAG centre activities in January 2020.
  2. RuTAG IIT Delhi published its 14th newsletter (Vol. 8, No. 2) about all RuTAG centre activities in July 2020. (Mulitlingual)
  3. The paper titled “Development of an AC Motor Power Device for making Tulsi Mala Beads” was presented in the 2nd International Conference on "Rural Technology Development and Delivery" (RTDD-2020) at IIT Madras during March 12-14, 2020. Final paper was submitted for publication in the proceedings to be published by Springer.

Visits

  1. Site Visit to Pattan Village in District of Betul, Madhya Pradesh on Nov. 16-19, 2019 to gain the experience how people decorticate Bhilawa and to know their challenges.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Exhibitions

  1. RuTAG Technologies were displayed in Desi Oon Exhibition at Bikaner House, Delhi organized by an NGO (Khamir, Bhuj, Gujarat) during Jan. 10-13, 2020 by Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta, Mr. Mangal Sharma, and Mr. Yashwant Prasad.
  1. RuTAG IIT Delhi team (Prof. M. R. Ravi, Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta, Mr. Davinder Pal Singh, Mr. Suraj Bhat, and Mr. Yashwant Prasad) attended 2nd International Conference on "Rural Technology Development and Delivery" (RTDD-2020) held on March 12-14, 2020 at IIT Madras.

Internship at RuTAG IIT Delhi

  1. Ms. Sajja Sai Priyanka, was an Intern with RuTAG IIT Delhi. She is pursuing M. A., Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship from, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tuljapur, Maharashtra.
  2. RuTAG IIT Delhi is in collaboration with the EPICS Programme of Purdue University, USA.
  3. 12 students from NIT Durgapur are working on Internship Programme on various RuTAG technologies.
  4. Fazil Qazi (University of Kashmir) worked for his Internship at RuTAG IIT Delhi on Tawa making process project.

3.Any other item with the permission of the chair.    
Chairman suggested for a physical monthly meeting following social distancing norms.

The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the chair and participants.

 

(Prof. S. K. Saha)

Coordinator, RuTAG IIT Delhi

 

 

 

More Information can be found from here: 
Minutes of Core Group of RuTAG IITD_Aug 05 2020.pdf