Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) was organised by the President’s Secretariat in association with National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF) and Department of Science and Technology culminated at Rashtrapati Bhavan recently.

This year, FINE witnessed a wider participation of nearly 200 innovations by school students, grassroots innovators, technology students, entrepreneurs, Industry representatives and public sector organisations, which were put on display.

Speaking to The Statesman, Priyanka M, a fellow of NIF, who was coordinating children’s creativity corner at the exhibition of innovations, said, “It is very interesting to hear about the students’ experience and what they’re encouraged to do and to learn. Children from across the country were encouraged to come up with out-of-the-box ideas during the year and NIF has facilitated the development of prototypes, which are on display.”

Ayush Katoch, a Class X student from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, showcased the concept of an eco-friendly village. He developed the RCC roof of a house that helps in providing insulation to the house and keep it cool in summers, to bag the National INSPIRE 2016 award.

Another IGNITE 2017 awardee, Ankit Singh, a Class 7 student from Bangalore Rural, Karnataka, developed a device to assist blind people board the bus. Through this device, not only the visually challenged person gets an alert when a bus is approaching, the driver of the bus also gets a signal that a visually challenged person is waiting for the bus.

Reshma Khanam (13), a Class 8 student from Kamrup in Assam, winner of IGNITE award 2017, was selected among 12 innovators for the in-residence programme of President’s House this year. Reshma’s project is about a guidance system for Alzheimer’s patient using which they can find their way home or alert his/her family or take assistance from any passer-by if they lose their way. This would be a wearable device equipped with a GPS and an SOS button.

Concerned over the sight of overflowing garbage bins, Prem Ranjan Singh, Shivani Singh and Ankush Pal of  Daman and Diu (UT) came up with an innovative dustbin with separate slots for bio-degradable and non-degradable waste. It also has the facility to send municipality the message that the dustbin is full.

The most noticeable innovation was e-spoon by Ayush Asthana from Noida (UP) helps people who suffer with Parkinson’s or any other disease where the hand of the person shakes.

Another interesting gadget showcased was ‘dust-collecting attachment for drill machine’, which is the brainchild Digantika Bose of Burdwan, West Bengal (IGNITE 2017 awardee). She was of the view that if the dust-collecting attachment will help the drill machine user in getting rid of dust.

Other gadgets on display were alarm aid for deaf and dumb by M Laxmi, Mahaboobnagr, Telangana; Solar-wind hybrid LED streetlight system by Aryan Arora of Panchkula, Haryana; Watch with pungent spray for bullies by Class 4 student Aparna and multipurpose bicycle by Indrajeet Singh.