Rural innovator gets Rs 1 cr grant from Telangana

Rural innovator Chintakindi Mallesham on Tuesday received a Rs 1 crore grant from the Telangana government.

Industry Minister K.T. Rama Rao handed over the sanction letter of the grant to Mallesham, who developed the Laxmi Asu Machine.

Hailing from a weaver's family, he was moved by the hours of manual and backbreaking work by his mother to complete the 'asu' making, an important process in Pochampalli handloom weaving.

Mallesham spent about eight years to develop the machine, which reduced the manual 'asu' making work of almost six hours to one and half hours. He was awarded Padma Shree for this invention.

This grant would be used to procure land, build shed and manufacture Laxmi Asu machines. The machines produced by Mallesham would greatly help ramp up production of Pochampally weavers, said a statement from the minister's office.

The Minister said that the state government would take all steps to encourage rural innovators. He said that Mallesham's services would be used to mentor the next generation of innovators using institutions such as T-Works.

Thanking the Minister, Mallesham said he would utilize the grant to come up with more innovations for the handloom sector.

--IANS

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