A villager in Chhattisgarh has designed a new device that has won him the National Innovation Foundation award.

Cutting a series of bamboo sticks and getting the right shape, size and uniform quality was a sticky issue.

The instrument cuts bamboo sticks into fine and uniform shapes. An innovation of Usman Shekhani of Bhanupratapur in Chhatisgarh, the simple looking apparatus is helping hundreds of poor people earn a living. Many are earning upto Rs 200 a day.

"We train people here. In the training process we teach them how to use the cutter, how to cut the strips in an efficient manner to generate as high as possible an income from this. In fact they understand the process very well and do good work and earn profit from this business," said Usman Shekhani, innovator.

Usman's device is made up of two parts. First is the strip cutter, which cuts small and thin strips of bamboo.

Rubber roller

The stick cutter has a rubber roller fitted and once the thin strips are cut they are rolled under this. It helps give the uniform shape to the sticks.

One can make 1500 to 2000 such sticks in an hour which can be sold in the market for upto Rs 200.

One can use discarded pieces of bamboo to make ice cream sticks and even 300 toothpicks in an hour.

A machine that does all this is available in the market for close to Rs 80,000. In comparison, Usman's machine costs only Rs 450.

Another advantage of the machine is that it can be operated by a single person. And in the days of power crisis, the device doesn't run on electricity.

It took Usman close to a year to design the innovation. Till date he has made and given 300 such machines to people.

But Usman is a little worried about others copying his design. Usman's bamboo stick cutter has also been awarded by the National Innovation Foundation.

He has also applied for a patent recently. For the future, Usman Shekhani hopes and dreams of making many such simple devices that will help hundreds earn their bread and butter.