This year’s Vikas Mela, organised on the occasion of the first day of Statehood Fortnight at Morhabadi looked like a platform for young scientists. The Rice Filter machine made by Shajid Ansari which won national awards and international award winner race car made by students of National Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology (NIFFT) were the most crowd seeking areas.
The three-day fair which also includes 50 stalls showcasing all the State Government schemes was inaugurated by Chief Minister Hemant Soren accompanied by Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday evening.
“This is our first ever opportunity to display our gadgets at a State level programme. People are coming and asking ‘Kaise banaya’ (how did you make thisIJ). Every time we feel nice to explain them,” said Vishal Pandey, one of the students of the 30 students group of NIFFT’s manufacturing cum metallurgy and materials engineering branches.
On the other hand Sajid, a class ninth student of Guru Nanak Higher Secondary School said, “My rice filter machine is a natural way of separating dust particles from rice. For this I was felicitated by Former APJ Abdul Kalam in 2011 and given a scope to show my effort at New Delhi’s exhibition held on March 7 this year. But, this home display opportunity is a golden moment as I am explaining my own natives. The crowd is unbelievable.”
Similar to Sajid and Vishal were the feelings of Mamta and Manisha, third year students of electrical engineering branch of Ranchi Women Polytechnic College who have made a model reflecting the usage of mechanical energy into electrical energy. “With few pencil batteries, our model can be used for mobile charging and low volt bulb lighting instead of inverter. This is our first attempt to explain people the benefit of such model and how easily it is made,” said Mamta.
Significantly, such a fair is to be organized in other districts as well during this statehood fortnight. The Ranchi commisionary‘s Vikas Mela includes the participation of employees belonging to Ranchi, Khunti, Gumla, lohardaga and Simdega districts.
Though, the fair was unveiled by a delay of almost three hours but the people from villages and urban areas of Ranchi were seen in large numbers since morning. A Sahiya who has been coming here since 2005 or 2006 when the fair was first started said, “The presence of women is more compared to men this year.”
Nukadd Naatak (street play) were showcased here in order to create awareness on MNREGA and other rural employment schemes.
To attract children, Water Resources and Sanitation department had put up cart horses wherein children are taught why to develop habits of sanitation. Stems used as woodcraft items were also displayed in a government stall. Jharkhand State legal Services was distributing leaflets whereas the Employment Exchange department was distributing pamphlets on career oriented programmes run by government.