Odisha woman sends rakhi made out of waste materials to PM Modi

Kendrapara’s Kamala Maharana, who once got mentioned in the Prime Minister’s 25th edition of the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme for her waste-to-wealth initiative, is on cloud nine these days. 

And, she has a valid reason for being so. The reason is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will wear a rakhi made by her tomorrow on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. The speciality of the rakhi is that she has made it out of waste materials. 

She had sent her rakhi to the Prime Minister well in advance to ensure that her rakhi reached him in time. 

“The rakhi I have sent to my brother (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is made from waste materials I collected. I have sent it with loads of affection for him. As he called me sister in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, I have discharged a sister’s duty. I do believe he would definitely wear my rakhi. If I see my rakhi on his wrist, it will give me immense pleasure.”

“I pray for his well-being and wish his popularity reach the pinnacle,” she said. 

Notably, Kamala Maharana, best known as Kamala Mausi, runs a women's self-help group (SHG) in Kendrapara. Her SHG group makes household articles from discarded milk pouches and other plastic materials. 

Prime Minister in his ‘Maan Ki Baat’ programme had highlighted Kamala Mausi's work, saying she has given a new dimension to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. During this programme, he called her his ‘sister.’