2 PhD students received Appreciation Awards at the prestigious Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Awards.
PhD Scholars from the Department of Food Process Engineering at NIT Rourkela has received Appreciation Awards at the prestigious Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Awards. The award recognises high-impact innovations in sciences, engineering, and technology.
Mr. Chingakham Ngotomba Singh, PhD scholar, received a GYTI Appreciation Award for the project titled “Mobile-based Zero-Energy and Sustainable Energy Cooling Unit for Perishable Fruits and Vegetables.” The project was developed under the supervision of Dr. Madhuresh Dwivedi (Associate Professor) with contributions from Prof. Rama Chandra Pradhan and Mr. Thota Niranjan from the Department of Food Process Engineering, along with Prof. Prof. Rajeev Kumar Panda (School of Management), and Mr. Somnath Das (Department of Mechanical Engineering).
Another PhD scholar, Mr. Ganga Kishore, received a GYTI Appreciation Award for the project “Development of Low Glycemic Index Millet-Based Rice Analogue for Sustainable Food Systems,” developed under the supervision of Dr. Madhuresh Dwivedi.
A total of 71 innovators nationwide, including 11 awardees and 60 appreciation recipients, were honoured during the event. The award was presented by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, in the august presence of Prof. Anil Gupta, Founder, Honey Bee Network; Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta, Director, CSIR–NPL; Prof. P. V. M. Rao, Chair Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Design, IIT Delhi; and Mr. Ramesh Patel, President, SRISTI. ORG. The award ceremony was held on January 28, 2026, at CSIR–National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi. The GYTI Awards event was organised by the Honey Bee Network and the Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions (SRISTI).
The awarded innovations address critical societal challenges by mitigating post-harvest losses in fruits and vegetables through a mobile, zero-energy cooling system based on evaporative cooling and sustainable energy principles, and by addressing public health concerns such as diabetes and iron deficiency anemia through a low glycemic index rice analogue derived from climate-resilient millets, collectively reflecting Gandhian values of frugality, sustainability, inclusivity, and strong alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well- Being), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
