Integrating Skills for Wealth Generation from Waste: Scrap Man of Odisha Dr. Rajat Panigrahi Shows the Way

Berhampur: There seems to be no limit when it comes to reusing waste into creating something beautiful and generating wealth out of it. What is needed, indeed, is just a spark of creativity with imagination and a passion for design. There are very few people who carry with them such obsession to transform waste into wealth creatively. And one among them is Dr. Rajat Kumar Panigrahi, Principal, Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Berhampur, Odisha. Dr. Rajat believes in this concept and has now become an inspiring individual and famous as the ‘Scrap Man of Odisha’.
For Dr. Rajat, the waste materials are not waste. They are the raw materials for a creative innovation. They are opportunities. According to him “When thousands of people throw off their old, kaput vehicle parts and electronic goods every year in trash cans and dumping yards, we have come up with some fascinating ideas with the waste materials and displayed it with brilliant zest”.

Now there are about 500 artifacts of different sizes made from scrap material that exist inside the Government ITI, Berhampur Campus. A ‘Scrap Museum’ inside the ITI campus was opened in 2017. Some of the prized possessions include a table lamp made with a kaput bike gear, flower vase with broken bathroom pipe fittings, wall clock with damaged bike and bicycle crank chain, a hanging scorpion with a broken bicycle chain, tractor with damaged C clamp, a kaput sewing machine, elephants made of waste iron powder generated in the ITI workshop and many other constructive items are in the ‘Scrap Museum’.

One ‘Open Air Scrap Material Park’ in front of the ITI Main building consisting of more than 15 Asia and national record crafts with the patronisation of Dr. Rajat opened later has grabbed everyone’s eyeballs. A 70-foot high guitar, 32-foot high Giraffe, 22-foot high fish, 18-foot high famous Hollywood film character ‘Predator’, 10 feet high and 15 feet in diameter Olive Ridley sea turtle, world’s largest fishing lure of 22 feet 8 inches (6.90 mt) long and a width of 91 cm and other creations are the main attraction of the open air scrap material park.

A recent addition to the collection at the ITI is ‘Tyre Art Park’ decked up with used tyres. Best out of waste concept is inspired, created and designed by Dr. Rajat Kumar Panigrahi. “We have used not less than 20,000 tons of scrap till date”, he said. My aim is to enable the students to make scrap a new source of income. We can make value addition of scrap through skill and it will definitely help others in their life, he said.

Now many ITIs and other organizations from across Odisha have come forward to make best out of waste materials like iron, electrical scraps, automobile scraps, plumbing scraps and other waste products. Dr. Panigrahi says, “The students now love to show off the crafts and objects made from waste. It will fetch them good income while at the same time making them feel good for having recycled mechanical, electronic, metal and other waste and saving our wonderful planet. The day will come when people will like to keep these crafts in their drawing rooms and bedrooms as a show piece”. Dr. Rajat Panigrahi was inspired by the value addition of scrap materials by the Chairman of Odisha Skill Development Authority Subroto Bagchi. “I dreamt of the new concept after Bagchi showed me a photograph of the scrap craft”, he said.

According to Kanhu Behera, ATO of the institute, “When the new scrap policy of Government of India will generate large number of automobile scraps, they can be transformed into home decorative items. Thousands of people can adopt these skills and will be entrepreneurs.”

The watch made out of a waste cycle chain and a crank cost around Rs. 60 but it can be sold for Rs.500. The flower vessels made out of used tyres are some examples of creation by the students of the ITI Berhampur. Students like Abhijit Das, Aditya Narayan Sahu, Bikash Kumar Behera, Aditya Prasad Parida, Purnima Nayak and Rupali Behera – fitter trade trainees of the institute have made it a reality to transform the used tyres into beautiful artifacts. Recently, a group of Maharashtra Govt ITI Principals were trained by Dr Panigrahi on the good practices of Berhampur ITI on the concept of scrap to wealth. Slowly, this concept is moving forward to all the states across the country. This will benefit the skill ecosystem of the Country and develop highly skilled professionals for a new India.