Blog

Monday 16 July 2018

Solar Chulha : Where can I buy ?

On 3^rd Nov 2017 , ONGC came out with a half page advt , inviting public to :

“………come up with innovative ideas to design and develop “ Solar Chula “

[ See original Advt at :

https://www.sarkariyojna.co.in/solar-chulha-online-applications-registrations-startup-ongc-co/ ]

Not finding in that advt or on ONGC web site , any “ Specifications “ for that chulha , I sent following email to ONGC [ cmd@ongc.co.in ]

Solar Chula ? Some Unanswered Questions [ 03 Nov 2017 ]

Extract of my Email :

Nowhere on the web site , there are any SPECIFICATIONS , against which ONGC will

carry out those “ Performance Tests “ to decide “ Successful Demonstration “

In total absence of any SPECIFICATIONS , will this ( ONGC ) expensive / time – effort consuming exercise boil down to , “ It is MY word against YOURs “ ?

Hence , the SPECIFICATIONS for Solar Chulhas would need to be :

# Chulha should be capable of cooking a meal for 4 persons ( will need to sharply

define “ MEAL “ ) , in 30 minutes , solely drawing its power from a SOLAR POWER

STORAGE device , which collects / stores solar power , from solar panels mounted

on the terrace / roof top .

Solar Storage Device should have adequate storage capacity for cooking 2 meals

before needing re-charge and should be capable of being re-charged from

standard 210 V / 5 Amp domestic electric outlet

# Chulha should be of XYZ dimensions , for easy accommodation inside a kitchen

# Chulha should not cost more than Rs 10,000 / - to manufacture ( which would be

excluding the cost of SOLAR POWER STORAGE device )

# ONGC will not have any IPR ( Intellectual Property Right ) for the winning designs

, which will vest in the INNOVATOR .

However , the innovator would be required to license any party / person for the

manufacture , without any licence fee / royalty

Apparently , my email did have some effect , since ONGC , later on , came out with the following “ performance features “ on its website :

1. The broad performance features expected from Solar Chula among other things

include :

i. Solar Chulha should work on solar energy ( solar thermal or PV ) or any other

renewable energy as source of energy which can be easily accessed or made

available in any house hold kitchen.

ii. It should be possible to keep the chulha all time inside the kitchen for cooking

purposes ( including frying, baking and chapati making ), similar to traditional

commercially available cook stoves which work on LPG or other fuels.

iii. It should be possible to use the Solar chulha on need basis any time during the

Day / night ( 24X7 ) basis.

iv. It should be suitable for built up of materials which are easily available and can be

disposed safely and can be mass produced with economies of scale.

v. It can be used independently or in conjunction with the grid, as the case may be.

vi. The solar chulha must meet safety requirements for use in any house hold.

vii. It should be able to provide sufficient meals for a family of five.

During the night time

it will work on stored energy with energy storage, having a life of around 2500 cycles.

2. The estimated cost of the solar chulha along with the energy source preferably

not exceed Rs. 10,000/- per unit. ( For a volume of few lac units ).

[ Source :

https://startup.ongc.co.in/wps/wcm/connect/ongcstartup/apply_now/solar_chulha_challenge#main-content ]

Congratulations to :

# Winner of 1^st Prize > SoULS team of IIT – Bombay

[ chetanss@iitb.ac.in / ncnsolar@gmail.com / jay.venkateswaran@gmail.com /

sudesh@iitb.ac.in ]

# Winner of 2^nd Prize > BMS College of Engineering ( Bangalore )

( registrar@bmsce.ac.in )

# Winner of 3^rd Prize > National Institute of Technology – Kurukshetra

( registrar@nitkkr.ac.in )

Dear ,

Shri Dharmendra Pradhanji ( min.png@nic.in / d.pradhan@sansad.nic.in )

Shri Shashi Shankerji – CMD - ONGC ( cmd@ongc.co.in )

At the outset , hearty congratulations on this initiative having a revolutionary potential

This solar chulha is the answer to save the lives of millions of women in rural India

It is possible that private sector industries may not think of getting into the manufacture / distribution of this product , since it may not be adequately profitable

But , if government can give subsidies for Electric cars ( FAME ) and Electricity connections to villages ( SAUBHGYA ) , then why not for Solar Chulhas ?

Would that not be far better than giving subsidy for LPG ?

And , for PNG – Bio Fuels , as suggested by NITI Aayog ?

Of course , the opposition will cry : You are trying to bribe village women for 2019 !

Please ignore them

They don’t have to worry about crude oil price crossing $ 100 / barrel !

17 July 2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Sunday 15 July 2018

Data Privacy Law : a Pandora’s Box ?

I got that feeling after reading the following :

India’s landmark data privacy law won’t apply to the very cause behind its existence : Aadhar

Extract :

Crimes :

Include obtaining, transfer, disclosure and sale of personal and sensitive data, if it causes harm to the person whose data it is (data principal), and re-identification and processing of previously de-identified personal data.

[ How a citizen will ever get to know that someone to whom he gave personal data , has caused him harm , through misuse of data ?

How must this aggrieved citizen go about to “ prove “ that a “ harm “ has been caused to him by such misuse ? Would he even remember to whom did he give what personal data – and for what legitimate “ use “ ?

By filing court cases against 200 search engines / mobile apps / e-com sites / govt agencies ? ]

Punishment :

For “ intentional or reckless behaviour ” that leads to the crimes, which it wants to be made cognisable and non-bailable.

In case the crime has been committed by a company or body corporate, including government departments, the responsibility would lie with the person in charge of conducting the company’s business or the head of a government department.

[ If such a “ transfer / sale / disclosure “ of personal data cannot be proved to have caused “ harm “, will that behaviour not be “ intentional or reckless “ ? ]

Compensation :

To be paid to “ data principals “ in case any harm is caused to them for infringement.

[ Who decides what was the “ quantum “ of harm and what is the commensurate “ quantum “ of compensation ? Won’t this differ from one case to another ? ]

Absolves :

The in-charge of all responsibility if he or she shows that the crime was committed without his/her knowledge or that all reasonable efforts had been taken to prevent the crime from being committed.

[ All data flows from one computer to another computer or even to some other

internet-connected device , such as a car / refrigerator / smart watch / TV etc .

Most of the time such transfers are happening round the clock, with no one watching /

no one knowing / no one asking for any permission from anyone !

According to one expert , by 2022 , there will be 50 internet connected devices in each

home ( IoT – Internet of Things ) – each sending out a lot of your personal / private

data, to their respective manufacturers / ISPs / Operating Systems )

Will anyone know what device is sending out which information to whom and when ? ]

Data collected under Aadhaar :

Would be out of the scope and purview of the proposed law.

This recommendation may not find favour with those who have opposed the unique identification system on the ground that the collection and dissemination of Aadhaar data leaves citizens vulnerable.

[ What about Aadhar-linked data collected by government agencies for hundreds of

Direct Benefit Schemes , which it has shared with Banks and Financial Institutions ? ]

Registration :

All data collectors would have to get registered with the DPA.

[ Each and every business establishment which is selling any product or service , online

( includes all search engines / e-com sites / mobile apps ), will need to register .

Soon that will cover 50 million MSME of India !

Would this cover all FOREIGN data collectors as well over which Indian Laws have no

jurisdiction ? Is this , at all practical / feasible ? ]

========================================================

Data Ombudsman :

To adjudicate complaints between “ data principals “ and “ data fiduciaries “