Ashokkumar Chavda, Prabal Basu part of in-residence programme

Noted writers Ashokkumar P Chavda and Prabal Kumar Basu, artists Rahul Shailendra Kokaste and Dheeraj Yadav, and 11 innovators will be part of the in-residence programme at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
They will start living at Rashtrapati Bhavan from today till March 18.
The in-residence programme was initiated by President Pranab Mukherjee in 2013 by opening the doors of Rashtrapati Bhavan for innovators, writers, actors to encourage their creative potential and for greater participation and involvement of citizens in its activities.
This year, Gujarati writer Ashokkumar P. Chavda, a recipient of Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, and Bengali poet, Prabal Kumar Basu, who received Gouri Bhattacharjee Memorial Award for his first book of poems 'Tumeei Pratham' have been chosen, a statement from Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

It said artists chosen this year are Rahul Shailendra Kokaste, winner of 50th Maharashtra State Award, 2010 and Dheeraj Yadav, winner of 57th Lalit Kala Akademi 2016 Award.
Also, 11 innovators, who have used basic technology to improve life, are also included in the programme.

These innovators have developed simple yet effective technologies like biogas bottling, diagnosis of silent heart attack, low-cost borewell scanners, clay refrigerator, non stick clay pan and other items.
Those part of the innovators group under the programme are, Surjeet Singh from Haryana who has developed a high yield basmati rice variety which is salt tolerant, Moa Subong from Nagaland has invented Bamhum -- a wind musical instrument, Ajay Kumar Sharma from Uttar Pradesh has designed farmer friendly compressor for biogas bottling.

Akash Manoj from Tamil Nadu has developed non-invasive self diagnosis of silent heart attack, Girish Badragond from Karnataka designed low cost bore-well scanners, Mansukhbhai Prajapati from Gujarat has come up with refrigerator, non-stick 'tawa' and a cooker made from clay.
Subhash Ola from Rajasthan developed a modified milk boiler, Shalini Kumari from Bihar innovated a modified walker with adjustable legs, Paresh Panchal from Gujarat developed bamboo strip, incense stick and incense making machine and Santosh Pachar from Rajasthan developed improved carrot variety.