Surendranath's rice mill original invention, reiterates MASTEC

IMPHAL, April 24: The Manipur Science and Technology Council (MASTEC) has rejected any claim questioning the originality of the pedal operated 'rice mill' invented by its senior scientific officer Surendranath, as reported in some local dailies today. The MASTEC, in a press release issued today by its executive director RK Shyamananda said that the pedal operated rice mill which won the National Invention Award-1999 and a place in the Limca Book of Records-2001 was developed by the council under the supervision of its senior scientific officer T Surendranath. This was an achievement of his research work in a sponsored project of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. Patent has already been filed for the invention, the release maintained. Categorically stating that Surendranath's machine was selected for the national award only after a thorough patent search conducted by the Patent Facilitating Centre of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The release said that during the worldwide search, one cereal mill invented by a German scientist in 1978 was found. However, Surendranath's pedal operated rice mill was still found a different one. No other similar machine was found to be in the search, the release clarified. Therefore the recent news that one pedal operated low cost rice mill claimed to have been developed by a student in 1986 need not question the invention of Surendranath. Since the said machine has not been registered with any relevant authority, the scientists at MASTEC were not aware of it. Moreover, the two machines might still have different characteristics. If so the 1986 machine is not barred from filing patent and get the status of a registered invention, the release added.