Low cost water filters for use in villagesMore than 60% infections are supposed to be caused by waterborne pathogens or impurities. We still have to develop location specific, low-cost filters, which can address this problem in an affordable and accessible manner.

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People have indigenously devised their own filtration units, like the one available in Dhemaji (where chiefly iron salts and sand get filtered, though not adequately). However, much remains to be done as there may be other unnecessary or harmful minerals present in the water, about which people may not be aware of. Much work has to be done in this regard for two objectives- a) field screening of the water and, b) low-cost efficient filter for mass use. Mobile phone camera based algorithms have to be developed to scan and screen drinkability of water. National Innovation CouncilLow cost oil expellerMany forest areas inhabited by tribals have a large number of non-edible oilseed trees. Majority of them use very inefficient method of oil extraction for fuel, health and light purposes. There is a need for manual and solar oil extractors.Affordable herbal extractor/processorMost of the tribal communities have some or the other tradition of making liquor. Unfortunately, the liquor contractors use their dependence on liquor for severe exploitation. One needs low cost fractional distillation systems so that communities can get high value for low amount of biomass. Likewise, hardly any in-situ value addition takes place in the medicinal plants. One needs to tweak the policy and provide affordable processing units to make it happen so that tribal regions don't remain as provider of raw materials. Lot of social discontent in these regions is linked to excessive exploitation by the contractors and the forest bureaucracy.Sensors for soil mineral and nutrient mappingThe cost of nutrients, which are often used in an unbalanced way, has been increasing over a period of time. Farmers are neither getting proper return nor are they able to maintain soil health. One needs mobile sensor based mapping devices so that farmers can move towards precision agriculture and save the cost and improve soil health.Efficient toiletsIn the absence of proper toilets, leakage from the human excreta which is not decomposed leads to widespread contamination of drinking water system in hill areas and also other humid areas. One needs to develop terrain-specific technologies which can be easily adapted with adequate protection.Low-cost-efficient system for storage of vegetables and fruitsIt is well known that as much as 25% of vegetables and fruits get wasted because of improper storage. We need low-cost stationary as well as mobile storage system for the purpose. Subsequently, we have to develop low-cost processing and drying systems as well.

Arvindbhai from Gujarat has developed a cold storage using evaporation of water to keep the chamber cool. He has also conceptualised a vehicle with the same facility for transport of food material from source of production to the place of storage. In Manipur, Maniyar Sharma has developed a vegetable-dryer using wood as a fuel. Both need considerable improvement and optimisation.Affordable use of renewable energy technologiesLow-cost windmill, terrain induced energy generation (from shock absorbers), efficient hydro turbine for pumping water or generating electricity through irrigation canal network or small streams, etc., are required for distributing energy generation.

NIF database has a number of compressed air technologies in which further value addition is required. Also a number of solar-based products like solar car, solar lanterns, solar bicycles, solar cookers, solar laminator, solar mosquito destroyers etc. A number of wind mills have also been developed and installed by grassroots innovators for different uses like pumping out water from the ground for irrigation (Mehtar and Mushtaq from Assam), energy generation (Dinesh Ashodia, Gujarat) or electricity for domestic use. Mansukhbhai Prajapati from Gujarat, Amrita Gupta from UP and a few others have developed evaporation-based refrigerators.Handloom innovation and diffusionAlmost every other household has dependence on handloom in large parts of northeast. A massive programme for improving efficiency both in supply chain and loom design is called for.NIF has many innovations in this sector which require large scale demonstration and local adaptation.

The author is a professor at IIM-A.