Aasha Khosa/New Delhi

A farmer can insert a pencil-like device in the soil of his field; the reading mapped through a mobile app will show minerals in it. He would quickly know whether the soil is acidic or alkaline; which mineral is missing or deficit ior which is surplus and then tackle the situation with fertilizers for a good yield.

This simple mineral-reading device was developed by Muneer Khan, a scientist who was recently conferred the Young Scientists Award constituted for honoring innovators below the age of 40 years by the government of India.

Muneer Khan comes from a nondescript village Gauriya in the Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh, located some 400 km east of New Delhi. He is currently an applied scientist at Harvard University and owns a US-based startup of AI Best Glasses.

Muneer Khan receiving Young Scientist Award from Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan

Muneer Khan’s journey began with he completing his engineering degree from a college in Uttarakhand and then moving to the USA for his M.Phill degree from Columbia University.

Wwhile studying for his Master's degree in Engineering, Muneer Khan developed the mineral reading device which has recently received a patent certificate from the government of India and now can be manufactured for sale.

He was conferred with the Young Scientists’ Award for the same.

After receiving the award he told the news agency IANS, “I made the device to empower farmers with the new technology to get more yield while reducing the cost of production.”

Muneer Khan in the field

Muneer Khan said that this device will essentially prove beneficial for farm owners and small farmers. Farmers will not need to put more fertilizer in their fields. They will be able to know the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, zinc, boron, or any other element required by their crops.

Earlier, Muneer received the International Young Scientist Award and the International Emerging Scientist Award 2020 in Kolkata.

During his studies, he started another project under the guidance of Professor Durgesh Pant on a Smart Water Quality Assessment System based on the Internet of Things (IoT). “I accomplished it with great results, filed for a patent, and published a research paper in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE),” he told the in-house journal of Columbia University.

Working with his team in Columbia University

At Columbia University, he started a project called "Homie Hydro - A Smart Water Bottle," where he worked to determine several parameters such as Ph, TDS, and temperature of the water. “This information helps access the availability of drinkable water resources around us. This project won the Best Project Award in Fall 2021.”

He and some friends started a startup in India called "Institute of Technical Training and Development Pvt Ltd” (ITTD Pvt Ltd) to provide technical training and counseling for underprivileged students who have faced challenges during this unfortunate pandemic.

He said, “ITTD offers the best in online classes, live project-based classes, and skill-based training programs. I have a long-term goal to be an educationist in my area of interest.”

On his Linkedin profile Muneert Khan write about ITTD: “As the founder of ITTD, my focus on project management has enabled us to launch web-based educational programs across India, fostering technology-driven learning. My dedication to mentorship and education is rooted in a belief that empowering the next generation is crucial for technological advancement and societal progress.”

Patent certfiticate for mineral detecting device

For Muneer Khan to receive the Young Scientist Award from Indian Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in New Delhi was a high point of his career.

According to Muneer, he was also worried about the lands becoming barren, so under the supervision of Dr. Durgesh Pant of Pantnagar University, Muneer Khan and his two colleagues Ashutosh Bhatt and Pankaj Adhikari developed this monitoring device.

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It has two devices like the tip of a pen that tell which crop to sow and which nutrients are lacking in the field. When connected to a mobile app, this device can find out how much fertilizer the field needs and how much deficiency of nutrients is there in the soil. Not only this, this device will also tell how much moisture is needed in the field and how much moisture is required.