Mann Ki Baat: PM Praises Odisha’s Rahul Maharana For Cleanliness Efforts

Photo courtesy: Hindustan Times

Bhubaneswar: One more person from Odisha, who has been rendering selfless service to the society, found mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly “Mann Ki Baat” programme.

In his address in 87th episode of the radio programme broadcast on Sunday, the prime minister mentioned about Raul Maharana who has been cleaning garbage from Devi estuary near Astaranga in Puri district everyday since the beginning of this year.

Modi spoke about Rahul while dwelling on cleanliness. He said, “Health is also directly related to cleanliness. In ‘Mann Ki Baat’, we always mention the efforts of the proponents of cleanliness. One such Swachhagrahi is Chandrakishore Patil ji. He lives in Nashik, Maharashtra. Chandrakishore ji stands by the Godavari river, and constantly encourages people not to throw garbage in the river. If he sees someone doing this, he immediately stops them. Chandrakishore ji invests a lot of his time in this endeavour.”

“Similarly, there is another Swachhagrahi – Rahul Maharana of Puri in Odisha. Rahul goes to the pilgrimage sites in Puri early in the morning every Sunday and clears the plastic garbage there. He has cleaned hundreds of kilos of plastic garbage and dirt so far. Be it Rahul of Puri or Chandrakishore of Nashik, they teach us a lot. As citizens, we must carry out our duties, whether it is cleanliness, nutrition or vaccination… all these efforts also help us in staying healthy,” the prime minister said.

As a routine everyday, 22-year-old Rahul of Ambadiha village in Khurda district sets out on a solo journey to Devi estuary near Astaranga in Puri district. With a gunny bag on his back, he collects every piece of garbage, litter or waste on the beach and the mangrove nearby. He has been doing it since January 8 and has single-handedly cleared over one quintal of waste so far.

In his earlier “Mann Ki Baat” programme, the prime minister mentioned about Bijay Kumar Kabi of Kendrapada and Amaresh Samant of Paradip for their efforts in forestation and Pushpa Shukla of Bhubaneswar for writing him a letter speaking about the excitement of senior citizens for opening the COVID-19 vaccination for the elderly.