Students here intend to do serious business this E Week.

Rucha Sharma explains her water harvesting concept

Seven students of HNIMR are all set to start green businesses on their own. Rucha Sharma has already takes the first steps. With the help of her father, she is setting up a roof water harvesting business in her draught-prone hometown Jalgaon. "Despite the water problem, only two organizations are currently doing roof water harvesting in Jalgaon - one charges a hefty fee and the other, though it provides free services, does not match up to the necessary quality standards. I hope to make my services both affordable and high in quality,' explains Rucha. Currently, she is on a hiring spree, recruiting plumbers for the job - while her father is finalizing their first deal with an interested client in Jalgaon. "There is a loss of about 1 lakh litre of water for every 1000 sq ft area not covered under rood water harvesting. By venturing into this space, I hope to contribute to a sustainable future," she says.

Shraddha Zende, an agriculture student, is market-testing her business idea of providing kitchen gardening services. "Homegrown vegetables are desired by many, but not many have the skills to grow and maintain them. I hope to provide my gardening services to people living in houses and apartments," she shares.

Street Play in Progress at HNIMR

Another student, Rasika Roman, whose family owns land in Maharashtra, wants to start a vegetable and fruit processing unit in her village and provide local jobs.

Meanwhile, Amrutha Opte is planning to produce sapling packing made of rice starch. "People usually use black plastic material to pack the roots of the sapling. What I am developing is a starch based material that is biodegradable and very effective in packing soil,' she reveals. Her friends Priyanka Patil, Deepti Motivale and Tillotama Rajale are also planning their businesses on similar lines. Tillotama is planning to sell scented wrapping paper while Priyanka and Motivale will build their biodegradable packing business using paper waste.

"We are inspired by what we are learning in our E Cell programs and we hope to take it forward and implement our knowledge in the businesses we run," ends Rucha.