Thiruvananthapuram, June 4 (IANS): An ambitious project by HLL Lifecare Limited (HLL), India's leading contraceptive makers, to produce a new generation condom has won the Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
HLL CMD M. Ayyappan Wednesday said Lakshminarayanan Ragupathy's, a scientist with the HLL, project aims at developing polyester-based condom that would be cheaper and eco-friendly.
Ragupathy won the $100,000 award that would enable him to pursue his work on green condom.
Commenting on the award, Ragupathy said it would be his endeavour to develop extremely thin and bio-degradable condoms, which will ensure increased use of condoms in the days to come.
Ayyappan said: "It is a great honour for HLL and Regupathy. Our philosophy is to fuse innovation with social commitment. The pioneering project will take the contraceptive revolution further ahead and give a fillip to our initiatives in providing better solution in the area of reproductive health."
HLL, headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram, is India's leading provider of a wide range of contraceptives and hospital products.