Odisha Woman Gifts PM Rakhi Made Of 'Unusable' Materials

A village artisan of Odisha, who has earned praises in the Prime Minister’s ‘Maan Ki Baat’ programme for making utility products from waste materials, sent a Rakhi made of food wrappers, milk packets, and other ‘unusable’ things for Narendra Modi on Monday.
    
Kamala Moharana, 64, of Kendrapara district runs a Self Help Group (SHG), the members of which earn money by converting garbage into products like baskets, pen stands,  flower pots, mobile phone stands, hand-fans, and wall-hanging.
    
“My life has changed dramatically the day the Prime Minister heaped praise on my work. Narendra Modi is like my elder brother. I prepared a Rakhi from waste materials like plastic, polythene, wrappers of food, and milk packets and sent it to the Prime Minister by post,” said Moharana.
    
The Raksha Bandhan festival will be held on August 30 and 31 this year.  
    
“Plastic, polythene, and other waste materials cause huge problems in the environment. So, I focused on those waste materials. People have started appreciating my work after the Prime Minister mentioned my work in Mann Ki Baat," she said.
    
In the 98th episode of Maan Ki Baat broadcast on February 26 this year, Modi praised the work of Moharana and the women of her group. 
    
“The women of this group make many things like baskets and mobile stands from milk pouches and other plastic packing materials. This is becoming a good source of income for them along with ensuring cleanliness. If we resolve, we can make a huge contribution towards a clean India,” the Prime Minister had said in his radio programme.
    
Starting with a few women in 2016, Kamala’s self-help group now has around 50 members.