Eco-Friendly Corn Husk Pens By 3 Telangana Kids Shine At National Innovation Expo
Their project, titled 'Eco-Friendly Corn Husk Pens', impressed every expert at the School Innovation Marathon 2024-25, held in Delhi's Pragati Bhavan from July 28-31.
Published : August 1, 2025 at 3:06 PM IST
Rajoli: When young minds join hands to bring a change, efforts always bear fruits. Three Class IX students from Anantapur High School in Gadwal mandal in the rural belt of Telangana have made their district and state proud with their biodegradable pen project that has caught the attention of educators and innovation experts across India.
Their project, titled 'Eco-Friendly Corn Husk Pens', impressed every expert at the School Innovation Marathon 2024-25, held in Delhi's Pragati Bhavan from July 28 to 31.
The young innovators Irfan, Prashanth and Pawan Kumar, guided by their Physical Science teacher Janakamma, came up with a simple yet impactful idea to tackle a growing concern - the environmental damage caused by daily-use plastic pens.
Instead of plastic, they used leaves of corn husks, a common farm waste, to make pens that are completely biodegradable and safe for the environment.
The School Innovation Marathon, organised by the Ministry of Education, received 1.2 lakh project submissions from across the country. Of these, only 1000 projects were shortlisted in the first phase. Eventually, just 27 were selected for the national exhibition, including three from Telangana. The Gadwal team's project was the only one from Jogulamba Gadwal district to make it to the final round.
The Union Ministry provided Rs 60,000 in funding to support the design and development of each shortlisted project.
"The pens have been crafted from corn husk leaves, an agricultural byproduct. These pens are completely biodegradable and pose no threat to the environment. They are definitely a sustainable alternative to conventional writing tools," the young innovators said, adding that their eco-friendly pens received an enthusiastic response at the exhibition, with many people purchasing those on the spot.
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