BHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s Rahul Maharana received the National Youth Award for 2022-23 for his work on mangrove restoration and biodiversity preservation in Puri’s Astaranga.
Maharana received the award from Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi on Thursday. A native of Ambadiha village in Khurda district, Rahul works as a security guard in a private company and dedicates his Sundays to clean plastic waste from Astaranga, near the mouth of Devi river.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also appreciated Rahul’s work in his monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi congratulated Rahul on Friday and said his remarkable contribution towards environmental protection and his efforts to clean up plastic waste, create mangrove forests and conserve biodiversity through mass awareness programs in coastal Odisha are an inspiration to the youth of the society.