MYSURU: Ninety-two-year-old Madamma, who has been honoured with the Rajyotsava award for midwifery and promoting tribal medicine, has been selected as election ambassador of Chamarajanagar district. Madamma, who hails from the Soliga tribal community, made the headlines when she launched a struggle to get a power supply to her Jeerege Doddi village in Hanur taluk recently.
Her village got power supply after Housing Minister V Somanna took the authorities concerned to task and directed them to start work immediately. With the district administration making her a poll ambassador, a school teacher and panchayat officials trained Madamma for four hours to record her appeal to voters to exercise their franchise. They later recorded her appeal, “Voting is our right, Voting is good in the interest of the country,” in the backyard of her house.
Madamma said many people visited her remote village and felicitated her after she was honoured with the Rajyotsava award. She said the state government should increase her old age pension so that she can meet her daily needs as her children live separately with their families.
She said that CESCOM officials were reluctant to erect additional electric poles and give power connection to Jeerge Doddi.