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United News of India
21 hours ago
- Business
- United News of India
Maha: Fadnavis releases entrepreneur Dr Chaudhary's book in Pune
Pune, June 8 (UNI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday released Dr Pramod Chaudhary's book, "Pailatiravarun... Tar As Zhaal", which chronicles the latter's entrepreneurial journey. Speaking at the book release ceremony held at auditorium of COEP Technological University, the Chief Minister praised Dr Chaudhary's work in the ethanol sector, describing it as a form of national service by a visionary entrepreneur. He recalled that when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was at the Centre, the initiative to increase the ethanol blending percentage had begun, however, in the midst the Vajpayee government left office, causing the topic to be put on the backburner and delaying the ethanol mission. After the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, the ethanol topic gained momentum again, he said and pointed that Dr Chaudhary reviewed the ethanol policy, provided suggestions that were incorporated into it and since 2017-18, progress has accelerated. He noted that blending 20 percent ethanol with petrol has resulted in savings of over Rs one lakh crore in foreign exchange and informed that ethanol is being used in aviation fuel and predicted that vehicles will run on biofuels in the future. Fadnavis highlighted the potential for creating a policy to make current plastics biodegradable, which could lead to the development of industries based on this technology. He mentioned that Dr Chaudhary had prepared a report on creating a Compressed Biogas (CBG) project using agricultural waste, rice waste and Mahua flower waste in Gadchiroli. The state government would develop a policy to promote the development of the Gadchiroli district based on Dr Chaudhary's report, he added. UNI SP SS
Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Pune Inc: How a 22-year-old spotted holes in India's digital transformation, and came up with solutions
Indian industry is digitising rapidly, but not uniformly — different sectors have shown unequal adaptability to digital modes. The India Digital Economy Report of January 2025 pointed out that the wholesale sector lags behind retail. In a single sector, such as banking, one can find that 95 per cent of payment transactions are digital, but processes like loans and investments remain largely offline and involve paperwork, with financial services generally less digitalised. Two years ago, Rushikesh Tanksale, who was waiting out the six months before his MTech studies started at COEP Technological University in Pune, came across companies stuck in a previous era. The 22-year-old BTech student's first experience was with a tractor manufacturer in Ranjangaon village with multiple electricity meters and transformers. After every eight-hour shift, the staff would manually write down, using pen and paper, the readings from each of the meters. 'I learnt that a lot of industries hesitate to upgrade because it takes time and the return on investment is not immediate. The hierarchical nature of companies, powered by babus who passed out before the digital revolution, also makes the transition difficult. The long processing time means that money is stuck, the pipeline is dripping, and such companies become roadblocks in the economy,' says Tanksale. He set up a startup with a bunch of interns, Two Registers, that creates customised automation software for mobile and web applications for organisations, institutions, and SMEs. For the tractor company, Two Registers developed a kit to digitise their meter reading and a few other processes. In another company, Two Registers saw that the task of getting work permits, such as for chimney cleaners to operate at heights, in a toxic environment and a high electricity area, was filled by hand using sheets of paper. 'The appended forms go to the first plant head, the second plant head, the third and to the final authority before the first pass is generated. In case of changes, you need to start from scratch,' says Tanksale. Two Registers created a software that has brought down the three-week work permit process to a week. 'They have a rotating holiday, so we cannot do much about reducing the time even further. The person who has to approve should be available,' says Tanksale. Today, his startup has 45 interns working on seven to eight different projects — and the challenge still lies in bringing a mindset change in the industry. The industries they have worked with range from automobile and construction to real estate. The company does not make a general product, but tailors software to a client's specific demand. A publisher and library client asked for a web-based platform with a system for audiobooks that Tanksale and the team created. 'There are opportunities in the market, but one just needs to have consistency and patience to look around. We try to focus on the smaller things that need attention rather than the bigger problems. This is what I have learned from my first two big projects. It is in the minor details that the Indian market is still functioning like it did 60 to 70 years ago. If we can digitalise these, it is a better option. We would be taking many companies ahead into the paperless era,' says Tanksale. Revenue is still in lakhs, and Tanksale aims to raise this to a couple of crores. 'If we get into the US market or European market, then the dynamics will change. A lot of foreign countries have a higher adaptability to digitisation,' he says.
