Updated on Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 00:00 IST

New Delhi, Feb 18: Ossian Agro Automation’s Nano Ganesh application has been selected by Nokia as a Grand Prize winner in the Emerging Markets category in the global Calling All Innovators contest for mobile applications and solutions to help improve the quality of life on the planet.

Ossian Agro’s founder, Santosh Ostwal, joined 10 other developers worldwide who were honored in Barcelona, Spain, in the Forum Nokia Calling All Innovators Award Ceremony during the annual GSMA Mobile World Congress. The winners were selected from among nearly 1,000 developers who competed in three categories with mobile applications designed to contribute toward building a better world.

The Nano Ganesh application allows farmers in India to establish remote contact with distant, modem-equipped electric irrigation pumps, to check on power supply and pump operation without the need to travel long distances.

As the Grand Prize winner in the Emerging Markets, Ossian Agro Automation received a cash award from Nokia of USD 25,000 and will receive help in distributing their mobile applications to consumers worldwide.

“Nokia is pleased to recognize Ossian Agro’s Santosh Ostwal as a real innovator in mobile development, having answered our global challenge for truly outstanding applications designed to help make the world a better place to live,” said Rob Taylor, Director of Forum Nokia. “We’re excited to be able to help put these remarkable mobile applications and services in front of consumer and business users through our Calling All Innovators competition.”

Nano Ganesh, provides a service that truly makes a difference in the lives of farmers in India today. Frequent power cuts pose regular challenges to farmers in rural regions. Often farmers find it difficult to get enough power to irrigate the land for seasonal crops. Santosh Ostwal developed Nano Ganesh to help farmers remotely start their water pumps any time – day or night. It also helps to check if there is a sufficient power supply to run the pumps.

Bureau Report