Gulmohur High School’s Akshat Sarkar develops ₹50 tape to improve LPG safety in rural homes
Jamshedpur: Akshat Sarkar, a student of Gulmohur High School in Jamshedpur, has been selected for the prestigious INSPIRE MANAK Award 2025 for developing an innovative idea aimed at improving LPG safety in rural households.
Akshat’s project, titled “GLDC Tape – Safe Tape for Rural Homes Gas Leak Detection with Seamless Scheme Integration,” proposes a low-cost and simple solution to detect gas leaks from LPG cylinders. The innovation is designed particularly for rural areas where advanced gas leak detection systems are often unavailable or too expensive for many households.
The proposed GLDC Tape is expected to cost around ₹50 and can be easily attached to LPG pipes or cylinder connection points. It uses a three-phase detection system that alerts users if a gas leak occurs.
The first phase is based on a chemical colour-change indicator using cobalt chloride. The tape changes colour when it comes in contact with gas leakage or certain environmental conditions, providing a visual warning.
The second phase includes a small sound-alert mechanism that produces an audible signal when leakage conditions are detected. The third phase involves a smell-based alert that releases a strong odour, helping users detect a leak even if the visual signal goes unnoticed.
These three layers—colour change, sound alert and smell detection—together create an early warning system that can help prevent accidents caused by LPG leakage in rural homes.
For his innovative proposal, Akshat has received a grant of ₹10,000 under the INSPIRE MANAK Scheme from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, to further develop the project.
Priti Sinha, Principal of Gulmohur High School, congratulated Akshat on the achievement and said,“Akshat’s idea reflects the spirit of young innovation—identifying real-life challenges and designing practical solutions that can benefit society. At Gulmohur High School, we encourage students to think creatively and apply scientific thinking to address real-world problems.”
