1. Approach for Unnat Bharat Abhiyan
IIT Mandi, HP, INDIA
Dr Arti Kashyap
Assocaite Professor
SCEE and SBS
IIT Mandi

2. The Himalayan Region
The states of Himachal, Uttarakand, Jammu & Kashmir
Largely rural and agrarian
Tourism of growing importance
Fragile environment that needs protection
Green energy: hydropower, geothermal, solar
State
Rural Urban Rural Urban
J&K HP UK

3. Challenges of the Region
Farming aids:
Light-weight plough for steep terraces, intelligent irrigation system, Rain harvesting and micro-irrigation technologies, Economical polyhouses with intelligent monitoring, Low cost vermicomposting pits for organic farming
Low-cost Post-harvest Technologies:
Affordable village-scale cold storage systems, Solar dryers for farm produce, Onsite CO2 generators to enhance shelf life of produce, Packaging material from locally available waste
Information Broadcasting:
Govt schemes for farmers, tea growers do not reach, Advisory for the crops
Women Health and higher education outreach:
Lack of awareness, facilities related to health and education

4. Approach at IIT Mandi
Study based technological solutions to society through ISTP
Direct solar lighting for village houses
Eco-tourism in Himachal
Traffic management in congested town of Mandi
Advisory system for Tea growers
Renovating gharats in Kamand area
Food preservation technologies
Innovation through design practicum (DP)
Developed low cost drip irrigation system
Inexpensive 3-D printer
Solutions through DST/MHRD funded projects:
CSTRI Center : Dry Pine needle pellatization
Farmer’s advisory: Developed in IUATC project
e-Health and e-Education: Using low cost mobile devices

5. Interdisciplinary Sociotechnical Practicum (ISTP)
The genesis of the ISTP comes from two facts:
One, development of useful products and technologies requires an understanding of the socio-economic context in which they will be used.
It is observed that often the problems in the society require simple solutions and can be resolved easily with the right technological intervention.
Through the ISTP, our students explore
Explore the various issues/problems of society
Propose technology-based solutions for these
Evaluate the proposed solutions from social, technical, economical, environmental and other aspects
Wherever required, help from the local administration, NGOs etc. will be sought for the implementation of the solutions

6. ISTP Project 2013: Won First Prize at WPI, MA
Proposal for Traffic Congestion Alleviation in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India
Shiv Sankar Baishya, Alyssa Bornstein, Shoubhik Debnath, Jan Keleher, Suraj Malode, Lena Pafumi, Sachin Saini

7. ISTP Project 2014
Study of traditional methods of food preservation, its scientific understanding and technological intervention
Pradeep Seervi, Harshit Singhal, Swapnil Ingale, Amit Bhati, Prashant Prazapati

8. ISTP Project 2014
Study of composition, adulteration and hygienic status of milk supplied in Mandi town and surrounding villages
Ritesh Rana, Harkaran Singh, Abhinav Singh, Surendra Anuragi

9. DP Project: Drip-irrigation System

10. DP Projects: 3D Printer and Oil spill remover
Low-cost 3D printer Rs. 25,000
Oil-spill remover

11. Highly Inflammable and Non-Biodegradable nature of Pine Needles
DST funded: Eco-friendly Utilization of hazardous Dry Pine Needles (DPN) for social benefits
Highly Inflammable and Non-Biodegradable nature of Pine Needles

12. Project DPN:THE CHALLENGE
20-30% of entire Himalayan Forest Cover*
*28.72% in Uttrakhand and 22.35% in Himachal Pradesh

13. Project DPN:THE CHALLENGE
Pine needles fall on ground from April to June.
They prohibit air flow and hinder the growth of grass in the forests.
Their degradation is slow due to non-biodegradable nature.
They catch fire instantly causing immense threat to biodiversity, forests, environment and local economy.

14. Project DPN:THE SOLUTION
The Key
To utilize fallen pine needles for making valuable products
Anticipated Benefits
Local livelihood promotion as people would be required for collecting and transporting pine needles (Expected incomes: Rs per day per person)
Reduced Environmental pollution and conserved Forest Biodiversity
Social Benefits from products
Increase in Employment Opportunities in Pine Needle processing units

15. Project DPN:Sample Equipment for PELLETIZATION
Process and Technical Details
The pelletization unit consists of a chipper followed by a hammer mill followed by a pellet mill
Conversion ratio: 85%
Total power requirement: 45kW
Connected load: 61 HP
Capacity: 400 Kg per hour
Vendor Name: Namdhari Industrial Works, Khanna, Punjab
Chipper
Hammer Mill
Pellet Mill

16. Project DPN:PELLETIZATION
Uses and Benefits
Pellets can be used for domestic cooking as well as for industrial applications
The identified technology promises 85% efficiency against 30% efficiency of presently used briquetting technique.
Financial Benefits: The use of pellets as fuel in kitchen promises Rs 30 per day households saving.
Quantity Required: 3 KG of pellets vs 10 KG of wood
Price: Rs 5/KG Pellets vs Rs 4.5 KG wood
Project is approved, sanction letter and funding is awaited.

17. MHRD Funded: Women-health Using Mobile Devices
Pregnancy help App in Hindi with text, pictures and voice:
Complete information on pregnancy
Identify danger signs during pregnancy, birth, and after birth 
how to stay healthy during pregnancy
Text-To-Speech Engine in Hindi language (in collaboration with Prof HemaMurthi, IITM)

18. MHRD Funded: Women-health Using Mobile Devices
Feedback Survey:
To check practical impact of the developed application in Hindi for the rural women of Himachal Pradesh, a thorough survey was conducted in 12 blocks of Distt Mandi. The feedback received is very encouraging. In fact, the demand for more informative application was put forward.

19. DST Funded: Information broadcasting and Advisory System for Tea growers

20. Challenges in Execution
Lots of ground work has been done
but
At Institute level
Efforts are sparse
Only a few faculty members are interested
Internal infra-structure is yet to be realized
Simpler procedures for execution are to be evolved
Locational challenges
Village in HP means few 100 and sometime less than 100 people
Reaching to remote location is time consuming
Most of the population lives with contentment so very sustained efforts are needed

21. Thanks !