Patna: Years have passed since two young scientists from Bihar bagged the prestigious Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE awards given by National Innovation Foundation, a body of the department of science and technology to encourage teenage innovators, but the Bihar government is yet to fete them.
Rahul Kumar (17), the son of vegetable vendor, used his grit and sheer determination to develop a "censor-based alerting system" for bus drivers.
Likewise, Sanoj Kumar, also 17 and son of a construction worker, invented a "car-unlocking system".
Both hail from Patna, and are students of Class XI in government schools. Then President Pranab Mukherjee had handed the IGNITE awards to Rahul and Sanoj in 2015 and 2017 respectively.
"News about cars catching fire and trapped people dying inside triggered my idea," said Sanoj. "Normal vehicles have electrical system to open the door. In case of fires, it fails. So we developed a mechanical clutch. When it is pushed, the doors open through pressure. We can save people's lives through this low-cost technology."
Sanoj wants to join the Indian Army.
"I read in the newspapers that accidents occur when a passenger puts his body parts outside the window," said Rahul who wants to become a mechanical engineer.
"So we developed a censor and alarm in the driver's seat that enables the driver to know which passenger has put his hands or head outside the window."
Rahul has procured the patent for his invention.
Despite their ideas been recognised and appreciated at the national-level, the state government neglected them.
The duo added unanimously that nobody from the government's side approached them.
However, Diksha Foundation, a Patna-based non-government organisation, gave them an opportunity to teach poor students about science and technology.
"We belong to very poor families. If we get some financial help from the state government, we can do great inventions for Bihar. Many awardees of other states got full financial support from their governments. But we were left out," said Sanoj, a viewpoint which was echoed by Rahul.
They added that scientific research requires financial assistance as many equipment involve huge costs.
"We need financial support from the state government to continue our research on those issues which affects common people," said Rahul.
"We celebrate National Science Day on February 28 every year. However the state's policy toward encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship is nothing more than a paper exercise," said a source in the Bihar Science and Technology Council.
