●●○ medium
There is no confirmed −; independently verified + decide the position (A). No unreachable strike-through.= non-additive meter
Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS / Jaipur Foot): Free prosthetics that restore mobility, livelihood, and dignity. For India's poor amputees — many of them manual laborers — losing a leg meant losing a livelihood. Western prosthetic legs cost thousands of dollars, took weeks to fit, and didn't suit a life of squatting, sitting cross-legged, or working in muddy fields. In 1968, sculptor Ram Chandra Sharma and orthopedic surgeon P.K. Sethi devised the biomimetic “Jaipur Foot,” made from rubber for about $30–50, which lets the wearer squat, run, climb trees, and walk barefoot in muddy fields. In 1975, former civil servant (and ex-SEBI chairman) Devendra Raj Mehta founded BMVSS and began giving it out for free. The limb is made in 1–2 days (“rapid fit”), with free meals and lodging during the stay and no appointment needed. Across 23 sites in India and camps in many countries, it has reintegrated over 2.3 million people in 50 years, including victims of landmines, war, and polio. Many of its technicians are former patients. The letter is A; certainty is medium. Unconfirmed concerns are placed under “Watching.” (As of 2026-Q2; estimate based on public information.)
Main narrative
For India's poor amputees — many of them manual laborers — losing a leg meant losing a livelihood. Western prosthetic legs cost thousands of dollars, took weeks to fit, and didn't suit a life of squatting, sitting cross-legged, or working in muddy fields.
In 1968, sculptor Ram Chandra Sharma and orthopedic surgeon P.K. Sethi devised the biomimetic “Jaipur Foot,” made from rubber for about $30–50, which lets the wearer squat, run, climb trees, and walk barefoot in muddy fields. In 1975, former civil servant (and ex-SEBI chairman) Devendra Raj Mehta founded BMVSS and began giving it out for free. The limb is made in 1–2 days (“rapid fit”), with free meals and lodging during the stay and no appointment needed. Across 23 sites in India and camps in many countries, it has reintegrated over 2.3 million people in 50 years, including victims of landmines, war, and polio. Many of its technicians are former patients.
One person’s story (N1)
+ before → after
Sudama Rai lost his left leg in a 1984 railway accident in Kolkata. In 1988, fitted with a Jaipur Foot at BMVSS, he walked, squatted, and reclaimed his life. And now he makes prosthetic legs at a BMVSS workshop for people who, like him, have lost a limb — the supported becoming the supporter.
Source nature: IEEE Pulse / P2 major media. Positive effects are not used to offset negatives.
Positive / negative effects
+ effects
- The Jaipur Knee, co-developed with Stanford University, was selected for TIME's “Best Inventions of 2009.” It was compared with other feet in peer-reviewed research in Prosthetics and Orthotics International, is the subject of a University of Michigan business-school case study (2003) and joint research with Stanford/MIT/ISRO/IIT. IIHMR (the Indian Institute of Health Management Research) verified its service life, and the Indian government supports it financially.P2 major media/academic / TIME / Prosthetics and Orthotics International
− effects (confirmed)
- No confirmed −.
- Independent quantitative verification of post-fitting QOL/employment; variation in quality/fit; durability
A second look
Figures like “about 2.3 million cumulatively” are company/press-based, with limited independent evaluation quantifying post-fitting QOL or employment improvement. The Jaipur Foot is not patented or standardized, so quality and fit vary between facilities; its product limits — a service life of roughly 2–5 years, and unsuitability for rugged terrain or high-intensity activity/sports — are also noted.
Sources
How to read this assessment
- Reachable upper bound (ceiling): a confirmed − sets the ceiling, and independently verified + decide the position within it. + do not cancel out −.
- The weight of evidence is not symmetric: only confirmed − are counted; the volume of disputes or allegations goes under “Watching.” + are counted from independent evidence, while an organization’s own PR is treated as “reference.”
- Size is not value: scale is not used in the assessment. Matters that stay within money or competition—investors, shareholders, sanctions, trade secrets—are also excluded.
- The letter (assessment) and certainty (how reliable the information is) are separate axes.
This is a translation; the Japanese version is authoritative. The assessments here are generated automatically by AI based on published criteria. The operator does not alter individual results. Because they are AI-generated they may contain errors, and they are opinion and commentary, not statements of fact. Where evidence is insufficient, the entry is marked “On hold.” Requests for correction are accepted via the form.
Terms: Narrative Value = an assessment (A–G) of the distance between the story an organization tells and its reality / Ceiling meter = a visualization of the reachable upper bound / Watching = unconfirmed matters not counted / Protected stakeholders = people, animals, nature, and future generations. | Generated by: AI | As of: 2026-Q2 | Back to top