Indian teenager bags Google Community Impact Award for Asia

Advay Ramesh, a 14-year-old student from Chennai, has won the prestigious Google Community Impact Award from Asia for creating a device that enhances fishermen's safety and productivity, Google India announced on Tuesday.

Ramesh, a Class 10 student from Chennai's National Public School, is also among 20 finalists shortlisted to compete for a $50,000 scholarship from Google.

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"Winning the Google Community Impact Award means a lot to me, it would help me learn more and develop my idea further," Ramesh said in a statement.

Ramesh's "FishErmen Lifeline Terminal (FELT)" hand-held terminal uses the Standard Position Services (SPS), an open service without encryption provided by the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System to enhance fishermen's safety and productivity at the sea.

"I have often read news about the troubles encountered by fishermen in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu. They have to stay at sea for many days to do their work. Sometimes, Sri Lankan forces arrest them for crossing the International Maritime Boundary line. Location-based information can provide many valuable services to these fishermen to handle these situations," Ramesh said in his project discription.

The Google Community Impact Award honours a project that makes a practical difference in the innovator's community by addressing an environmental, health or resources challenge.

"Young minds are inventive, thoughtful, and determined to try things that other people think are 'impossible.' It's imperative for us to support and encourage these young people to explore and challenge the world around them through scientific discovery," said a Google spokesperson.

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Out of several projects across the globe, Google selected top 100 ideas, including 14 projects from students across India.

Source IANS