Watch: 17-YO Girl From UP Village Solves a Farm Dust Problem; Takes Her Idea From School to Tokyo

The whirr of a threshing machine outside her school was a familiar sound for Pooja Pal. So was the dust it threw into the air.

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One afternoon, as the machine worked nearby, thick husk-filled air drifted into her classroom in a small village in Uttar Pradesh. Students began coughing. Breathing became difficult. Lessons came to a halt.

Pooja, then in Class 8, could not shake the moment. The dust was part of everyday life in farming communities, yet no one seemed to question its impact. She began wondering if the machines separating grain from stalks could work without filling the air with debris.

She took the question to her science teacher, Rajeev Srivastava. He encouraged her to explore it further, pushing her to think of a solution that could work on the ground, not only on paper.

 Building a solution from scratch

Pooja’s circumstances offered little comfort. She grew up in a home without proper electricity or a toilet. Her father worked as a daily-wage labourer, while her mother cooked meals at a government school.

Even so, with sustained guidance from her teacher and support from her school, Pooja began experimenting with prototypes of a chaff–dust separation mechanism. Each attempt came with costs. Over time, the expenses rose to nearly Rs 3,000 — a heavy burden for her family. Yet her parents stood by her, believing in the value of her work.

After several failed trials, she developed a working model. The prototype used a simple water-based mechanism to trap dust particles within the machine, stopping them from escaping into the air during threshing.

A practical answer to a common problem

Pooja presented the invention at various science fairs, where it drew attention for both its efficiency and real-world relevance. Traditional threshing machines are known to cause long-term respiratory problems among farmers and field workers, while also contributing to air pollution. 

A dust-free alternative directly addresses both concerns, making the innovation meaningful for farming communities who face these risks daily.

From Barabanki to Tokyo

In 2023, her model received national recognition when it won the INSPIRE Award, conferred by the Department of Science and Technology. She was the only awardee from Uttar Pradesh that year.

The honour took her project to the National Science Exhibition and, in 2025, earned her a place at Japan’s Sakura Science High School Programme. In June 2025, the young innovator, now in Class 12, flew to Tokyo with 53 other students from across India.

For a girl who once felt that even Barabanki was out of reach, the journey to Japan marked a massive leap.

Looking ahead

The Ministry of Science and Technology is now facilitating the patenting of her model, and the 17-year-old hopes it will see widespread adoption and reach the people who need it most. After completing high school, she plans to start a small business. 

Reflecting on her journey, she said, “I want to become big enough so that the people who once looked down upon us see our true potential.”

Sources

‘From Barabanki to Tokyo: 17-year-old girl’s dust-free thresher wins global recognition’: by Bharat Speaks, Published on  9 July 2025.

‘Even Barabanki felt out of reach from her village, but Pooja Pal’s invention took her to Japan’: by Amrita Priya for Global Indian, Published on 10 July 2025.

‘Labourer’s daughter to represent UP in Japan science event’: by Times of India, Published on 14 June 2025. 

'Child Scientist' Pooja’: by BBC News Hindi YouTube, Published on 19 July 2025.