Seventeen-year-old Pooja Pal from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, has turned a problem she noticed in Class 8 into a low-cost dust-free thresher that has earned national recognition and taken her to Japan.
Growing up in a mud-and-thatch home without electricity, Pooja saw children struggling with dust released by a wheat-threshing machine near her school and began asking whether it could be stopped. With guidance from her science teacher Rajiv Srivastav and help from a welder, she developed a working model at a cost of around ₹3,000.
Her innovation was recognised through the INSPIRE-MANAK programme, and in June 2025 she travelled to Japan under the Sakura Science High School Programme. She later received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for science and innovation, was recognised as a Mission Shakti role model in Uttar Pradesh, and her journey was featured in a documentary centred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Ministry of Science and Technology is also facilitating the patenting of her model.
A Question From The Classroom
Pooja’s idea began with something she saw repeatedly rather than with access to a laboratory or sophisticated equipment. While studying in Class 8, she noticed children coughing because of dust produced by a wheat-threshing machine near her school. The problem stayed with her, prompting her to ask whether the dust could be prevented from spreading. “That dust just stuck in my mind. It wasn’t right,” she recalled in an interview with The Global Indian. “I asked myself, can we do something about this?” Her science teacher, Rajiv Srivastav, encouraged her to explore the idea and helped turn her question into a practical experiment.
With assistance from a welder, Pooja began developing a model designed to collect flying dust and husk rather than allowing it to disperse into the surrounding air. Reports describe the prototype as using simple materials, including tin and a fan, with the dust collected separately. The project cost approximately ₹3,000, a considerable amount for her family.
Pooja’s parents nevertheless backed her efforts. Her father, Puttilal, works as a daily-wage labourer, while her mother, Sunila Devi, is a cook at a government school. The family lived in a mud-and-thatch house and, for years, had no electricity. Pooja has recalled studying under a kerosene lamp before the family began using a battery-powered bulb.
Despite their financial circumstances, her parents stressed the importance of education. “We’ll eat less, but you all must study as that will take you ahead,” she recalled them telling their children. Their support became particularly important as Pooja faced scepticism from people around her. She said some villagers questioned what she would gain from pursuing the project and mocked her efforts. “But I didn’t listen. I went ahead anyway,” she said.
From A Village Project To Japan
The dust-free thresher subsequently moved beyond the school-project stage. Pooja’s model was submitted to the INSPIRE-MANAK programme, which encourages school students to develop innovative solutions to everyday problems. Her project progressed through the district and state stages before gaining national recognition. She was among the national winners and the only participant from Uttar Pradesh in the relevant selection, with her model later showcased at a national science exhibition. Other reports state that the 2023 INSPIRE-MANAK national competition had 60 winners from across India, with Pooja the only winner from Uttar Pradesh.
The recognition opened an international opportunity. In June 2025, Pooja travelled to Tokyo as part of the Sakura Science High School Programme, a science exchange programme. According to The Global Indian, she was the only student from Uttar Pradesh among 54 Indian students selected that year. For someone who had grown up with limited resources and once felt that even travelling to Barabanki was beyond her reach, Japan represented a remarkable change in circumstances. “I never thought I’d even reach Barabanki,” she said in an interview. She also remembered the organisation and courtesy she experienced in Japan, including umbrellas being kept ready for students when it rained.
Her recognition continued after the Japan visit. In September 2025, her journey was featured in Karmayog: Ek Anant Yatra, a documentary centred on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The film presented her story in the context of the possibilities created through education and the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao message. She was subsequently honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for science and innovation, presented by President Droupadi Murmu in December 2025. By September 2025, she had also been recognised as a Mission Shakti role model in Uttar Pradesh, while her family received approval under the state’s housing scheme.
The innovation itself is now moving towards the next stage. The Ministry of Science and Technology is facilitating the patenting of Pooja’s model. For the teenager, however, recognition is not the final destination. She has said that after completing Class 12, she wants to start a small business that can help fund her college education while also supporting her parents. “After I pass 12th, I want to start a small business,” she said. Her ambition extends beyond personal success: “I want to become big enough so that the people who once looked down upon us see our true potential.”
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Pooja’s story is a reminder that innovation is not limited by the walls of a laboratory or the availability of expensive equipment. It can begin with a child noticing something that others have learnt to tolerate and having the courage to ask whether it can be different. Her journey also highlights the importance of teachers who recognise curiosity, parents who protect a child’s aspirations despite financial hardship, and institutions that create pathways for grassroots ideas to be heard.
At the same time, recognition should be followed by meaningful support so that promising innovations can move beyond awards and exhibitions and reach the communities they were created to serve. Pooja’s dust-free thresher began with concern for children and farmers exposed to threshing dust; its eventual impact will depend on whether that idea can become accessible and useful at scale.
What more can India do to ensure that young innovators from every village have the opportunity, mentorship and resources to turn their questions into solutions?
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