Hyderabad: P Vineela, a Class X student from Rajanna Sircilla district, has developed a special machine to help women lift heavy cooking utensils. She was inspired to create this machine after seeing her aunt, who works as a mid-day meal worker, struggle with large utensils. Her invention is now being used in some government schools in Sircilla.
The state government runs a mid-day meal program to ensure students attend school regularly. Most of the cooking is done by women, who have to prepare large amounts of food, such as 50 to 100 kg of rice and other dishes, every day. Moving heavy cooking pots and draining water from them can lead to health problems and injuries, such as getting burned by hot water.
To address this issue, Vineela worked on an idea with the help of her physical science teacher, Thaduri Sampath Kumar. Together, they created a utensil supporter machine that makes it easier and safer to handle large cooking pots. For her efforts, Vineela received several awards in 2023, including the High Range Book of World Records, School Innovation Challenge Award, South India Science Festival Award, and Intinta Innovator Award.
Speaking to Hans India, Vineela explained that her aunt’s struggles motivated her to develop this machine. She also visited other schools to learn about the challenges faced by mid-day meal workers. The machine she designed uses aluminum frames, wheels, and chains to lift and move heavy utensils. The machine also has a holed lid to help drain water from rice without the risk of burns.
The working of the machine is simple. A heavy utensil is placed on the machine, and by rotating a handle, the utensil is lifted easily. The machine also has wheels, making it easier to move the pots from the cooking area to the serving area. Since it is made of aluminum, it is lightweight, foldable, and height-adjustable, making it easy to store and transport. Vineela hopes this innovation will help more mid-day meal workers avoid injuries and pains.
At present, her machine is being used in a few government schools, but there are plans to introduce it to more schools across Telangana.
