The possibility of saving millions of litres of diesel every year by ensuring widespread use of the Mangal Turbine (MT) has travelled one big step further as the Union Ministry of Rural Development has appointed a three-member committee to examine the possibilities of wider utilisation of MT in the country.
This device was innovated and patented by a rural innovator of Bundelkhand region, Mangal Singh; it is capable of lifting water from small streams without using diesel or electricity, thereby reducing greatly the irrigation costs of farmers. Simultaneously, reduction in the use of diesel can contribute to checking greenhouse gas emissions.
The committee has been deputed “to make an assessment of the facts regarding the innovation of the Mangal Turbine with regards to the potential for saving use of fuel, protecting the environment and reducing cost for farmers.” The team will submit its report to the Additional Secretary, Rural Development, within three months and will also advise the Ministry on its replicability in general.
The committee members may also consider providing relief to Mangal Singh, who lost his ancestral land for designing the innovative turbine. Two official reports — the B.P. Maithani report prepared on behalf of the Union Rural Development Ministry and another report prepared by IAS Arun Arya for the Uttar Pradesh government — have already recommended providing some succour to the farmer-innovator.
In the face of several obstacles, Mr. Singh has so far installed or helped in installing about 50 MTs in various parts of the country. Due to lack of proper maintenance, however, several of these are in the need for urgent repairs, while some are in a stage of half-completed implementation.
