PM lauds 22-year-old man from Odisha for cleaning plastic garbage from seashore

He has cleaned hundreds of kilos of plastic garbage and dirt so far, Modi said.The Prime Minister also named Chandrakishore of Nashik for similar voluntary works.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday was in all praise for a 22-year-old man from Odisha's Puri district for his efforts to clean plastic garbage from the seashore.

In his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' radio broadcast, Prime Minister mentioned the name of Rahul Maharana who works as a security guard after completing his graduation and removes plastic wastes from the pilgrim town on Sundays, his off day.

“There is another Swachhagrahi (a volunteer who works for cleanliness) – 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,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister also named Chandrakishore of Nashik for similar voluntary works. “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,” he said.

Elated at his name being mentioned by the prime minister, Maharana said he has taken up the plastic garbage cleaning work on his own and spends money from his pocket without help from any organisation or person.

“Whatever little amount I receive as a security guard, I spend them for this social work. My parents have all along been encouraging and never opposed my work,” he said.

Maharana, who works alone, expressed wonder how he was spotted. He had launched a drive on January 8 to clean plastic wastes and had removed almost 1000 kg of waste from several places of the state.

He had carried out a similar drive at Pir Jahania beach, Rushikulya mass nesting site and other places.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)