Mann Ki Baat: PM remembers Cuttack’s ‘chaiwala’ Prakash Rao
BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday remembered D Prakash Rao, the famous chaiwala from Cuttack city, on his 100th ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme.The prime minister recalled Rao, who passed away in 2021, for his mission of ensuring education for poor children. “In Mann Ki Baat, we have highlighted the efforts of many such people, who are working selflessly for education. You may remember, once we discussed about late D Prakash Rao, a tea vendor in Odisha who was engaged in the mission of teaching poor children,” Modi said.
Recipient of the Padma Shri in 2019, Rao had the rare opportunity to meet the prime minister along with his school children near a public meeting venue in Cuttack while the latter was here to address an election meeting. Rao’s wife and daughter were special invitees to the radio programme organised at Raj Bhavan here by Governor Ganeshi Lal.
“The Mann ki Baat programme should continue. Even in the 100th episode of the monthly programme Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered my husband. My husband had set up a school and taught poor children. More people should do such work which will help the nation grow,” said Bijaylaxmi, wife of Rao.
His daughter Bhanupriya told mediapersons at Raj Bhavan that she will continue to run the school set up by her father to educate the poor and needy children. She appealed people to help her as they did to her father in this mission.Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who listened to the 100th edition of the Mann Ki Baat program in Bangalore, said the PM has given a befitting tribute to Padmashri Rao by remembering him.