BHUBANESWAR: UNDER the Covid-19 pandemic shadow when people are advised not to step out unless necessary, a Bhubaneswar-based start-up by three Odia youths is providing home services to them in the Twin City.
Days after the country shut down following outbreak of coronavirus in mid-March, the youths joined hands to launch ‘Home Acts’ in April that aimed at providing services like electrical repair works, carpentry, plumbing and repair of two and four wheelers at doorsteps apart from sanitisation of campuses. The founders are Abhishek Acharya (34) of Niali who is doing his PhD (Space Biosciences) in Germany and two more students - Satish Kumar Samal (27) and Ashutosh Das (25).
Das completed his MTech from Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) in the Capital city while Samal is pursuing his PhD (Electronics and Communication Engineering) from the same university. Acharya visited Odisha after the outbreak and started the start-up along with Das as its co-founder and Samal as mentor/advisor.
The start-up has engaged over 120 outsourced staff like electricians, plumbers, carpenters, air-conditioner, two-wheeler and four-wheeler mechanics to provide home services. While they receive an average of three to five service requests every day, in the last five months, Home Acts has carried out sanitisation of around 100 offices and residences in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Three staff have been engaged for undertaking sanitisation works. On an average, each one of them is getting three to four assignments every day. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is provided to them for their safety, said Samal.
Currently, there are about 1,000 registered users of Home Acts, which is available on Play Store. People can also avail the services by making bookings over the phone.“The primary objective behind starting Home Acts was to be a part of Atmanirbhar Bharat and provide employment to those who were reeling under the financial crisis due to Covid-19,” said Das.
They are of the opinion that if there were enough employment opportunities in Odisha then people will not go to other states looking for jobs. “Thousands of people returned to their homes while many of them struggled to find conveyance to come back. Our attempt is to make their lives better so that they can provide quality education to their children,” said Das.
The three youths are now developing contactless ultraviolet radiation machines equipped with sensors to disinfect personal belongings like mobile phones, tablets, wallets, office files, among others.As temples are expected to open soon for the devotees, they are also developing bells which will have sensors and can ring without any contact with hands. Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) is providing technical assistance to develop the UV scanners and bells. The two products are expected to be available in the market by next month. “As of now, we are not making any profit but all our services are picking up pace,” said Samal.