The Sixth National Competition for Rural Innovations

Raisin grading machine invented by Ramdas Madhavrao Jagtap of Nashik, Maharashtra that won a National Award in the Third Competition.

The best three inventions and traditional knowledge practices will be awarded Rs 1,00,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 each in different categories. There will be several consolation prizes of Rs 10,000 each in different categories.

• Type of inventions: Can be in machines, gadgets, implements, or processes for farm operations, household utility, transportation for improved efficiency, energy conservation or generation, and reduction in drudgery, creative use of biodiversity, plant varieties, generation of herbal remedies for human or animal health or developing new or any other low cost sustainable green technology.
• Who can apply: Individuals or groups who have achieved distinction in improving quality and productivity.

Your invention may also qualify for additional funding by Micro Venture Innovation Fund for the following:

• Incubation and business plan.
• Testing and prototype development.
• Pilot scale production.
• Commercial production.

For example, Hyderabad-based Matrix BioSciences, signed a deal with NIF to license some of these inventions. Matrix plans to put the name of each inventor on the label. It will share profits with the inventors.
Products launched by Matrix include:

• A natural pesticide that fights mites and prevents leaf-curl disease, developed by Popatbhai Rupabhai Jambucha, an illiterate farmer from Gujarat.
• A herbal pesticide that keeps aphids, white flies and mealy bugs away, made by Arkhiben Mithabhai Vankar, a village healer and midwife.

How to participate:

• Individuals or groups may send as many entries as they wish on plain paper providing a) genesis of innovation and traditional knowledge b) background of innovation and c) background with complete educational qualification of the innovators/ traditional knowledge holders, accompanied by photographs and/or videos if possible and any other information that may help in replicating the innovations/traditional knowledge. Herbal entries may be accompanied by dried plant samples to enable proper identification procedure.
• Last date: December 31, 2008
• Where to send entries: National Coordinator (scouting and documentation), National Innovation Foundation (NIF), Satellite Complex, Bungalow No 1, Premchandnagar Road , Jodhpur Tekra, Ahmedabad 380015 Gujarat or by email to: campaign@nifindia.org