Gujarat teen drone designer appeals to parents to let children follow their dreams

Astonishing the nation with his skills and invention at the age of 14, Harshvardhan Zala, a student from Gujarat who recently came under spotlight for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of Rs. five crores for designing drones at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, appealed to all the parents to let their children follow their dreams.

"Parents should let their children decide what they want to pursue in their lives, what is their area of interest," he said in a press meet here.

Sharing his own experience Zala said that he has always received support of his parents and teachers in the entire process, which made him more determined towards his goal.

Discussing about his phenomenal invention which created a buzz, Zala said that the project is to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative.

"Keeping Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Make in India in mind, I have signed this MoU. I want to set up our own aerospace and defence industry here. So, that we don't have to export any defence components from outside," he said.

Earlier, Zala, signed a Rs. five crore-worth Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government, for the production of drones designed by him.

The deal is signed with the Department of Science and Technology for manufacturing drones that would be able to detect and defuse land mines on a war field.

The drone sends out waves up to eight square meters from two feet above ground level. These waves are able to detect land mines and send their location to the authorities.

Till now Zala has made three prototypes of drone, out of which two costing worth Rs. Two lakh was financed by his parents and the third one costing Rs. Three lakh was sponsored from the state.