Folded Ladder

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Details

Innovator Details

Mohd Rafiq Ahanger, 42 years old, is a blacksmith involved in fabrication work since the last 25 years. His claim to fame is the development of a multipurpose tool, which can be used as an axe, hammer, chisel, blade, screwdriver driver for domestic or other carpentry tasks.

Born in the family of blacksmiths, Rafiq did not have an easy childhood due to financial problems. It was tough for his father to raise eight children – two sons and six daughters. He recalls that though they come from a lower income background, he was cushioned from the shocks of poverty by his supportive parents, who went the extra mile to provide for their children. Since childhood, he had access to blacksmith tools, iron and steel, which he loved to play around with. He would use them to repair old gadgets, and make toys or small replicas. He studied till class ten and then took up odd jobs before finally settling into his father’s workshop.

Innovation Details

In 1995, at the age of 20, he set up his own workshop to make grill gates, different iron structures for household use, and do motor repairing work. Born and brought up in a rural area, it was easy for Rafiq to identify with the problems people face in their daily lives, a fact that finds reflection in the products he designs. Given the poor condition of electricity in the region, he was in dire need of an electricity generator for his workshop. However, he did not have the funds to make a purchase. This prompted him to design a pressure generator for producing electricity. Rafiq claims to have developed a generator, which can produce 40W electricity. His innovation won him a lot of admiration in the district as also an invitation to the Islamic University of Science and Technology to demonstrate his device. 

Rafiq devotes most of his time working on his innovations and developing new prototypes. His wife is very considerate and supportive of his efforts and majorly shoulders the responsibility of the family, giving him the much-needed time to follow his passion. She hopes that one day her husband’s persistence pays off – ‘Mehnat tas Chu fal’, she says, implying hard work secures reward.

This iron ladder has a multipurpose use in horticulture during harvesting and branch cuttingand is more secure than those that currently exist in the market. It is designed like a tripodwith a full height of up to 12 feet. Its wide pillar length ensures that a person can stand on itsecurely without losing balance. A basket can be pulled up and down by means of a ropepulley attached to the supporting pillar, which can be adjusted by hand without the need foran additional tool. This ladder can be folded to half its size and used as a 6 feet ladder whenopen. It is portable and ideal for both indoor and outdoor use.

The ladder is made of strong material which can hold up to 100 kgs of weight. The producthas yet to go to the market. However, it is safe and secure and easy to carry, making it apotential winner. The ladder gained recognition and was awarded during the 9th NationalBiennial Grassroots Innovation Awards 2017, held on March 4th, 2017 at RashtrapatiBhavan, New Delhi.

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTED UNDER

Gramin Navonmesh Protsahan

Gujarat Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network (GIAN) and Small Industries Development Bank (SIDBI) are working on a project “Gramin Navonmesh Protsahan”. The project aims to strengthen the innovation ecosystem and provide support to innovations from and for grassroots across the country. The selected projects get support for investment funds for stimulating commercialization. The support is provided in the form of a soft loan with a 5% interest rate.

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