President Invites Odisha Boy Innovator To Tea Party

Balasore: A 12-year-old boy from Odisha’s Balasore district has been invited to attend a tea party to be hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi.

Biplab Kumar Ghosh of Madhupara in Basta block has received the coveted invitation for inventing solar-run farming equipment that reduces labour burden and also saves time.

A Class VII student, Biplab said he saw his father working in the fields under the scorching sun and decided to create a machine to him in farming.

“I am a farmer’s son and know that agriculture demands hard labour and is also time-intensive. When I saw my father toil hard in the field and also pay others to work for us, I thought of helping him. I decided to make a machine which will save time, reduce labour and cut down other expenses as well,” Biplab said.

The boy took the help of his teachers and some classmates at Upendra Nath Nodal Upper Primary School to come up with the innovative multi-tasking machine by spending Rs 10,000.

“The machine can do six different works simultaneously, including the preparation of land before sowing seeds, ploughing, sprinkling water and pesticides, sowing seeds and applying manure,” he added.

The innovative equipment has won Biplab both state-level and national recognition. He was recently felicitated with the INSPIRE Award– MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspirations and Knowledge).

Chinmay Kumar Nanda, headmaster-in-charge of Biplab’s school, said, “The ‘Seed and Fertilizer Applicator’ designed by him was among the seven projects that were selected for INSPIRE Awards – MANAK”

Taking note of his innovation, the President’s office invited the boy to attend the tea party in Delhi. Though the exact date of the event is yet to be fixed, the tea party is scheduled to be held in March-April.

Notably, the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scheme is one of the flagship programmes of the Department of Science & Technology (DST). The scheme aims to motivate students in the age group of 10-15 years and studying in Classes 6 to 10.