When a Portable toilet is a precious gift!

What qualifies as the perfect marriage gift? Jewellery, dress, diamonds or a luxurious car? None of the above, feels Savitri Mane, who has decided to give her niece the most ‘precious’ gift of all – a portable toilet.
Katraj-resident Savitri’s niece Raksha is marrying a youth from Bhor this week. When Raksha’s parents noticed that the groom’s house does not have a toilet, they decided to gift the bride one.
“It has become a trend nowadays to buy portable toilets as gifts. The demand is on the rise this reason. Parents, whose daughters are marrying rural youths, have added a portable toilet to their list of gifts offered to the groom,” said Ramdas Mane of Mane Industries in Bhosari. His firm has received orders for more than 1,000 toilets in the past few days. “Already, we have provided 2,500 toilets in 200 villages in Pune, Satara and Kolhapur,” he said. Many other small firms are in the portable toilet business and share Mane’s experience.
“Girls these days refuse to accept a groom whose house does not have a toilet. Even low-income families in city have toilets. But even some rich families in villages feel that a toilet is unnecessary,” said Ramesh Sonawane, who has gifted his daughter one. These toilets cost between Rs 7,000 and Rs 12,000, depending on the quality.
These toilets come with ready-made RCC walls and a sceptic tank which could be carried easily. While the tank is ideally placed by digging a hole, it takes hardly two hours to fix the walls.
“Basically, girls from urban areas are not willing to marry into rural families. A girl from the police lines in Pune was married in Sangli and had to suffer a lot because there was no toilet facility,” said Pratima Joshi of Shelter Associates. She added that city girls make sure that these basic amenities are available in their in-laws’ houses before getting married.
“When my uncle asked about the marriage gift, I suggested a portable toilet. As a new bride I would not be in a position to ask my in-laws to construct a toilet at their place. So while leaving Pune, I will carry my toilet,” said Ekta Tare, who is getting married to a youth from Khatav In Satara.
The government is also taking initiative in providing low-cost toilets. In Satara district, the zilla parishad has developed a model of low-cost toilet. “The response has been good. Even people from Pune have approached us. Many villages have decided that girls from their village will marry only to those boys whose house has toilet facility,” said Irshad Bagwan, information and communication officer in Satara.

Courtesy: Times of India Pune, 3-5-08

Prabhakar Wawge brings solar energy to every home

Energy conservation is the ‘in’ thing today, but using alternative methods are not easy. Keeping this in mind , a city-based researcher has acquired a patent for his innovation which promises to bring solar energy to every home.
Conventional solar heating systems use large space and have to be placed on open premises only. But Prabhakar Wawge, a renewable energy engineer and consultant, has invented a solar collector which can be used in multi-storied buildings without using the terrace area. That means any flat owner can install and utilize this system in whatever place is available.
Describing the system Wawge states, “This system reduces the cost by Rs. 300-3500 in comparison with a normal solar system. It can also be used as a wall integrated solar collector and does not require any pumping mechanism for circulation.” Wawge has recently received the patent from the Government of India, for which he has applied in September 2005.
According to Wawge,”Even though people have funds to install solar systems, bad aesthetics and lack of space do not allow them to do so. However, this system, which is basically a flat plate collector system, can be integrated in the wall. It has been devised keeping in view seasonal changes and the path of the sun for the whole year.
Incidently, Wawge approached MEDA so they could exploit his invention, however authorities asked him to approach private companies which Wawge refused.

Courtesy: Pune Mirror, May 2, 2008

SOLAR ENERGY FOR ENDING WATER WOES OF RURAL FOLKS

If the mission of a Pune-based private firm bears fruit, three villages may get over the water shortage and will soon see filtered drinking water flowing through their taps.
Aar-em Electronics Pvt.Ltd, makers of Champion UPS, is all set to go ahead with the goodwill gesture once the technology, which uses solar energy to pump water from wells gets ready.
“The firm will be using membrane filter developed by National Chemical Laboratory and already got in touch with manufacturers of the membrane filter. Water is cleaned of viruses and bacteria while passing through the membrane, which was developed by NCL’s polymer division. The membrane allows only tiniest of molecules to pass through it. NCL’s membrane filter, which received a US patent last year, works on gravity.
The success story of Mohri, a village situated about 100km from Pune, where the firm put an end to the 60-year-old electricity blackout by installing equipment that works on solar energy gives them the backing.
Once the firm succeeds in providing light and water to three villages (using solar energy), they plan to get in touch with the Maharashtra Government in order to replicate their Pune model across the State.

Courtesy: INDIAN EXPRESS, apri,16th 2008

This charka can light up bulb and radio!

Now, you can spin the yarn, and through that, listen to the radio and do some reading as well. This is thanks to rural development minister G Chinna Reddy on Friday launching e-charka, an electric improvisation over what was made famous by Mahatma Gandhi.

Attached with a specially-designed portable generator, the e-charka can help a person earn his livelihood by spinning yarn or handloom. In addition, thanks to the attached generator, the person gets seven hours of electricity which will enable him to listen to a transistor and afford one light bulb.

Speaking to the media after the launch, the minister said the e-charka has been developed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission in association with a Bangalore-based company and that it would enable the spinner living in the hinterland to spin yarn and earn anything between Rs 15 and Rs 60 depending on the size of the charka.

There are four variants, from two spindle to eight spindle e-charkas.

The base model of the two spindle charka costs Rs 5000.

The KVIC would buy the yarn from the spinners, the minister said. The government would also examine the possibility of giving subsidy for the financially weaker sections to buy the charka.

This could provide additional source of income particularly for the beedi rollers which mostly consists of women mainly from the Telangana region. With the danger symbols on beedi packets becoming mandatory, the beedi rollers fear that they may soon be out of job and this charka could come handy for them.

Since the two and four spindle charkas are easy to operate, even women and children can spin it and contribute to the family income, he added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Hyderabad/This_charka_can_light_up_bulb_radio/articleshow/2962714.cms

Mohri Village lights up with solar energy

Till recently, the villagers of Mohri 100 kms from Pune in Velhe taluka used kerosene lamps. But today, the village is the proud advocate of solar energy. Mohri is a sleepy hamlet with 25 houses belonging to shepherds, woodcutters and small farmers.

Ranjit Mohite, a Pune-based UPS manufacturer, on 18th March installed two KED (light-emiting diode) lamps in the homes, along with solar streetlamps for the entire village. Today the village is 100 per cent powered. Having used polluting kerosene lamps all this while, the villagers are now getting used to the new power, self-financed by Mohite at a budget of Rs. 4 lakhs. Each home now has two solar lamps, support by a solar panel and a battery, which are used for two hours in the day and for five hours every night.

LED bulbs last 10 times more a compared to conventional compact fluroscents (CFLs) and 50 to 100 times longer than typical incandescent lamp or bulbs in everyday situations.

Courtesy: Maharashtra Herald Pune