A bidet that a person can operate with their foot. A hygiene solution that costs a fraction of imported alternatives. BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao on Saturday, 17 October 2026, spotlighted Raghu Duth Degala, founder and CEO of Hyderabad-based assistive-tech startup Kaiteki Innovations, whose flagship product is quietly redefining independence for differently-abled and elderly Indians.

KTR's post noted that the last time he met Degala was in 2023 at T-Hub Hyderabad, Telangana's flagship government-backed startup incubator. Three years later, Kaiteki's profile has grown considerably — the company was selected among the Top 10 innovators out of more than 26,000 applications at Vande Bharatam 2026, a national innovation recognition platform, and received the Special Category Award – Disability carrying a prize of ₹11 lakh.

The GUKO Bidet: Foot-Pedal, Hand-Actuated, and Built for Real Life

Kaiteki's headline product, the GUKO Bidet, comes in two versions: hand-actuated and foot-pedal-operated. The dual-design approach is deliberate — it ensures that users with varying degrees of upper- or lower-limb mobility can independently manage personal hygiene without assistance. It is exactly the kind of unglamorous, essential problem that large consumer companies rarely bother to solve affordably at scale.

India's Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 mandated accessibility measures and support for assistive devices, but implementation at the product level has historically lagged behind legislative intent. Ventures like Kaiteki represent the translation layer — converting a legal mandate into something a person can actually use in a bathroom.

Telangana's Startup Scaffolding and the Vande Bharatam Stage

T-Hub, launched in 2015 as the anchor of Telangana's startup policy, has consistently served as an early proving ground for social-impact entrepreneurs. Degala's connection to the ecosystem dates back to that 2023 meeting, when KTR was still serving as Telangana's Minister for IT and Industries. The Vande Bharatam selection now lifts Kaiteki onto a national stage — out of 26,000-plus competing applications, a top-ten finish signals both product credibility and scalability potential.

KTR's post described Degala's journey as one of 'transforming everyday challenges into practical, affordable and inclusive solutions' — a framing that cuts to the heart of what separates durable assistive-tech businesses from one-off prototypes. The ₹11 lakh prize is modest by venture-capital standards, but national award recognition frequently opens doors to government procurement pilots and larger institutional backing.

For an ecosystem watching whether India's disability-tech segment can move beyond niche recognition into mainstream supply chains, Kaiteki's trajectory is one to track closely.