All Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) in the country will replicate the technique developed at the ITI in Odisha’s Berhampur to convert discarded microwave ovens into ultraviolet (UV) sanitiser chambers for the disinfection of mobile phones, pens and other small items carried by medical staff at coronavirus (COVID-19) hospitals.
This was stated by the Union Minister for Skill Development Mahendra Nath Pandey in an interview to the AajTak TV news channel. Picking up the technology from the Berhampur ITI, the Minister said, all the other ITIs in India will construct similar UV sanitisers from thrown away microwave ovens to help the fight against coronavirus in their respective areas.
Berhampur IISER and ITI make hand sanitisers for civic personnel fighting COVID-19
Devised by the Principal of the Berhampur ITI Rajat Kumar Panigrahy, the conversion costs only ₹1,200. Equipment to be disinfected has to be placed in it for 15 minutes. A timer is provided. News of this device was published in The Hindu on May 7.
‘Rising demand’
According to Mr. Panigrahy, the Union Minister has directed around 13,000 ITIs in the country to carry carry this out. “This will surely be able to meet the rising demand for UV sanitiser chambers at COVID-19 hospitals and other medical institutions throughout the country,” Mr. Pandey said.
In Berhampur, some local doctors have transformed discarded microwave ovens to UV sanitiser chambers with the support of the Berhampur ITI.
ITI, IISER Berhampur join forces to manufacture hand sanitisers
Earlier, staff of the Berhampur ITI also designed and manufactured nominally priced “face shields” and “aerosol boxes” to save frontline personnel from infections. This technique, too, was transferred to other ITIs elsewhere in Odisha and outside the State. Police personnel in Bihar’s Jahanabad began using the face shields when ITI Jahanabad started manufacturing them with technical knowhow from Berhampur ITI.
