Delhi entrepreneur’s initiative to reduce air pollution in the capital
POWER & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Delhi entrepreneur’s initiative to reduce air pollution in the capital

New Delhi-based entrepreneur Vidyut Mohan along with Kevin Kung from the United States, have taken initiatives to assist the country capital in reducing air pollution and preventing carbon emissions.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of New Delhi has slumped to 304, and is now under the ‘very poor’ AQI category.

Every year, the capital experiences an air emergency around this time.

Several studies conducted to determine the rise in the pollution levels in northern India decide that the traditional practices of stubble burning added majorly to this AQI drop.

Designing a machine, which aids in drastically scaling the usage of agricultural waste biomass, the Mohan’s small-scale and low-cost equipment processes agricultural and forest waste into reusable products like fuels and fertilisers.

Takachar - taka (translated in English as money) and char (meaning carbon) - was a conceptual enterprise created to produce wealth and livelihood from carbon-based products. Their firm was named winner in the Clean Our Air category, winning EU 1.2 million, at Prince William’s inaugural Earth shot Prize on October 17.

Dubbed as the Eco Oscars, the award is granted to people attempting to save the planet.

The thought behind Takachar was first introduced as part of Mohan’s master's thesis. He was thoroughly inspired by the potential influence working on agricultural waste would produce in the world. His plan was multidimensional - not just from an environmental viewpoint but to additionally empower and create a rural livelihood for the farming population of the world.

During one of his pilots with a village in Uttarakhand in 2013, he felt the influence of this creation.

The 30-year-old entrepreneur told the media that not only did the incomes of the farming families increase for the month due to the machine, they were also able to stop forest fires resulting from burning agricultural waste. Kung's PhD thesis from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was related to Mohan's concept, and therefore, the purpose of becoming partners in this journey formed.

The firm has been backed by several incubation programmes from India and around the globe. Their grant-based fundings were produced by Social Alpha, the government's NIDHI-PRAYAS programme, ARISE programme by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and more.

Takachar is presently working with farmers in Rohtak, Haryana in collaboration with the CII Foundation (CIIF), which has a farmer base in Punjab and Haryana that handles and collects rice straws.

Along with this, they are also operating with coconut farmers and coconut oil mills in South India and a local group in Kenya. The Kenyan farmers are utilising one of their earlier prototypes to produce products that are being sold and utilised by more than 5,000 farmers in East Africa.

Image Source

New Delhi-based entrepreneur Vidyut Mohan along with Kevin Kung from the United States, have taken initiatives to assist the country capital in reducing air pollution and preventing carbon emissions. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of New Delhi has slumped to 304, and is now under the ‘very poor’ AQI category. Every year, the capital experiences an air emergency around this time. Several studies conducted to determine the rise in the pollution levels in northern India decide that the traditional practices of stubble burning added majorly to this AQI drop. Designing a machine, which aids in drastically scaling the usage of agricultural waste biomass, the Mohan’s small-scale and low-cost equipment processes agricultural and forest waste into reusable products like fuels and fertilisers. Takachar - taka (translated in English as money) and char (meaning carbon) - was a conceptual enterprise created to produce wealth and livelihood from carbon-based products. Their firm was named winner in the Clean Our Air category, winning EU 1.2 million, at Prince William’s inaugural Earth shot Prize on October 17. Dubbed as the Eco Oscars, the award is granted to people attempting to save the planet. The thought behind Takachar was first introduced as part of Mohan’s master's thesis. He was thoroughly inspired by the potential influence working on agricultural waste would produce in the world. His plan was multidimensional - not just from an environmental viewpoint but to additionally empower and create a rural livelihood for the farming population of the world. During one of his pilots with a village in Uttarakhand in 2013, he felt the influence of this creation. The 30-year-old entrepreneur told the media that not only did the incomes of the farming families increase for the month due to the machine, they were also able to stop forest fires resulting from burning agricultural waste. Kung's PhD thesis from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was related to Mohan's concept, and therefore, the purpose of becoming partners in this journey formed. The firm has been backed by several incubation programmes from India and around the globe. Their grant-based fundings were produced by Social Alpha, the government's NIDHI-PRAYAS programme, ARISE programme by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and more. Takachar is presently working with farmers in Rohtak, Haryana in collaboration with the CII Foundation (CIIF), which has a farmer base in Punjab and Haryana that handles and collects rice straws. Along with this, they are also operating with coconut farmers and coconut oil mills in South India and a local group in Kenya. The Kenyan farmers are utilising one of their earlier prototypes to produce products that are being sold and utilised by more than 5,000 farmers in East Africa. Image Source

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

Next Story
Technology

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?