1. Sir, kindly introduce yourself and share your college journey.
I am Nitish Kumar from the Chemical
Engineering branch of 2k19. My college journey was great. When I came to this
college, my communication skills were not good, to be honest. So, I tried to
join clubs at our college to enhance my soft skills. I was a part of the sports
club, NSS, and my branch society Quimica. These clubs and societies helped me
to shape my personality. There was a very massive change when I entered BIT.
This journey was full of ups and downs. I am very fortunate to be a part of
Quimica when it was in its initial stage. The interactions I made and the
experience I gained from these were of utmost importance in my project journey.
It could not have been possible without the support and help of my seniors and
clubs.
2. Sir from your LinkedIn
profile we have observed that you are the co- founder of the Urja Viable Solution
(UVS) kindly enlighten us on what that company does and give us a brief
knowledge about it.
Yes, we named our company for this
project Urja Viable Solution. We decided to go with this name during incubation
in the startup cell. Our sponsors wanted a name that was best suited to our
project. Biogas project was a common name. We needed a stage name to be in
business. Our alumni who sponsored the whole project are to be named something
related to that only. Also, we made an addendum with the seniors of the startup
cell. We gave them insights into our projects and the funding we got, which was
10 lakhs rupees. Getting this much amount for your project is a boom in any
government college. So we were given a separate department for our project in
the incubation center. So, for that, we have to make a founder and co-founder
for this project. My seniors identified my colleague and me as the founder and co-founders
of this project.
3. What was the inspiration
behind this project or how did the idea of installing it on our campus cross in
your head?
We wanted to go out of the box. We
wanted to do something unique which our nearby colleges had not done yet at
that time. At that time even IIT ISM, BIT Mesra, and NIT Jamshedpur hadn’t
initiated any biogas projects. We started to prepare the outline for this
project during our 3rd year. In our college, so much food is wasted
in all the hostels. Even we started with Hostel no. 26 having a strength of
250+ where a lot of food waste is available. Starting from a small scale of
1000 kg waste, we reached a huge figure due to our Director sir’s guidance and
seniors’ support. The NAAC accreditation helped us to build our project at a
fast pace.
4. During the initiation of
any project or affirmative work, people are a little reluctant to join or
support the good cause how the people around you have reacted to this idea and
how you managed to gather hands in your goodwill?
Yeah, it happened to us too. Many of
our seniors and our batchmates were reluctant to join this project as placement
season was going on at that time. Also, many were busy with their own project.
We planned this project since our first year days. We both admired the startup
idea of Karan Mehta sir, who is the founder of MiloDoctor, from our college.
For any startup, funding is a must. Funding or sponsorship is provided by the
alumni. So, we started to connect with them through LinkedIn and Alma Connect.
We got the support of our 1972 batch senior Praful sir who is the money in
charge and Rajat Verma sir who is the president of BITSA. They told us to
arrange a meeting with the Director sir and other stakeholders. We got our
initial funding from them and the production work has already started for more
biogas plants in huge numbers. Our seniors also helped us in installing the first
biogas plant beside Hostel no. 26 and in arranging the various equipment
through their contact.
5.Sir, reading about your
project seems quite interesting and complex at the same time so kindly tell us
more about the project and what exactly was the project about?
Basically, the collection of food
waste is a major part of this project. Extracting bio-fuels or bio-gas from
those waste products is the main objective of it. We also get the organic
manure after the collection that is also used as fertilizers for the college
gardens, enhancing the beauty of our college. On the business front, we can
sell it to farmers or even the nearby HURL plant after testing, opening a door
for income generation for us. We got to support the college as well as the
hostel staff too. Two workers were provided by the college administration for
looking after the plant and fulfilling its waste needs. We shifted the water
tank from Hostel no. 7 to Hostel No. 26 with the help of staff workers due to
water scarcity. The pipeline connection also resulted from the staff workers’
support.
6. Talking about your Biogas
project installed at hostel 26 what initial challenges you had faced during the
entire process from the idea to executing it?
As I already told you that funding is
the most important thing. Initially, the cost was about 20 lakhs rupees. But it
was a huge amount to ask for. So, we cut it down to 10 lakhs rupees for the
alumni and sponsors. Also, getting support from the college for a huge project
is a must. For getting approval from the college for all our needs in this
project like land area, water source, and access to food waste from hostels, we
had to put some ideas about why this is important for the college too. We took
the reference from IIT INDORE and IIT GANDHINAGAR who have a zero-waste
emission policy. I have done my internship at IIT INDORE and have closely seen
their work related to this zero-waste mechanism. That is why the graph of the
college is increasing day by day and the college campus is green and beautiful.
We put these ideas in front of our Director sir during the meet. We put the
notion of “Green BIT” in this dusty environment. Also, it was a smooth way to
attract modern companies by enhancing new facilities. After putting in all such
efforts, we got permission for this project under the direct supervision of our
Director sir.
7. The bit alumni association
supported you a lot in this project how you contacted BITSA and alumni from the
1972 batch, Mr. Praful Kumar, to fully sponsor your project?
At first, we didn't speak with Praful
sir. Our seniors assisted us in getting in touch with Rajat Verma sir, the
president of BITSA. He supported our idea for a biogas plant and demonstrated
interest in it. As I already mentioned this biogas plant project is neither at
IIT Dhanbad nor at NIT Jamshedpur, it has an intriguing concept, which is why
Rajat Verma sir trusted us and advanced our project to BITSA. Through Rajat
sir, we then met Mr. Prafull sir at the Alumni Meet, who approved of the idea
of installing it on campus and fully sponsored it.
8.Viewing the location of
your project it seems that you have also planned it. So how did you come up
with this location and noT anywhere else?
We selected the site after considering several factors, including feasibility, the presence of existing structures, a distinct line separating power users, and, most importantly, the necessity that the chamber is situated in an open area far from any water source. The substance is accessible, which lowers logistical expenditures. Since all of these amenities are close to hostel number 26, we reasoned that we should consider it.
9.How did the professor respond
when you put forward the idea of implanting a biogas plant in the college and
how do they help you during this entire process?
I selected the department of delayed
coking unit because waste emission is my area of expertise. Every day I went
there, the professor helped me develop the idea and provided the academic formalities
for the successful completion of the project. One of the safety requirements
for industrial internships is a strong desire to learn. When my engineer
friends learned about the balloons, it aided in preventing the leak. Thanks to
my internships, I was able to comprehend how important third parties are to
sustainability and market understanding.
10. If we have an idea about something, what should we do or whom to and what's the process behind this kindly guide us in this.
Ideas are a reflection of reality.
Regardless of whether the concept was based on a startup or on research, learn
more about it. Make sure to develop your idea and gather all the information
necessary to support it. Then examine it. To speak with our alumni and learn
more about our scholarship programs, contact BITSA through alma connect. Most
importantly, it's about being yourself. These actions will help you stand out
from the crowd and make your resume stand out from the competition.
11.Your work surely inspires
many students in the college what message you would like to give to your juniors
who want to contribute something?
Many opportunities and experiences
are available to you while in college. How you handle and manage these
situations is entirely up to you. Building and selecting your friend network
carefully is one of the ways I realized that bonding with other people was
crucial to the success of my project. I managed to persuade my buddies to push
the collecting tank to the desired spot rather than carrying it. When it comes
to giving back, one can do it in a variety of ways like getting a solid job and
resolving some of the college's significant problems. Working on a large
project is not always the focus. I have seen numerous people with amazing concepts
refused, while others with smaller but nonetheless significant projects have
received funding. Therefore, if you are improving your skills, you will undoubtedly gain from it.
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