New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Rahul Maharana of Odisha was among the 24 recipients of National Youth Awards for 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Youth Affairs & Sports Minister Mansukh Mandviya conferred the awards in New Delhi on Thursday
A native of Ambadiha village in Khurda district, Rahul won the award for 2022-23 for his work in plastic waste cleanup, mangrove restoration, biodiversity preservation and community awareness programmes in coastal districts of Odisha.
In March 2022 during his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also praised Rahul for his efforts to clear every piece of garbage, litter or waste on the beach near Astaranga in Puri district and the mangrove nearby.
A security guard with a private company in Bhubaneswar, he launched the clean-up drive to protect the estuary in 2018 after he saw it littered with waste after a visit to Astaranga along with his friends. He did it every Sunday with a gunny bag on his back.
