On 1 March 2024, President of India Draupadi Murmu will greet 5 distinctive self-employed women from the Dakshina Kannada (DK) region as a part of the Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Mission's "Sanjeevani" project. These phenomenal ladies have had extraordinary influence through their work in their communities.
The five ladies from the Dakshina Kannada region include,
- Lakshmi from Belthangady
- Sundari from Kanyana in Bantwal
- Meenakshi and Vanitha from Sullia
- Swathi from the SC Community
The Sullia region belongs to the ancient Koraga community from where Meenakshi and Vanitha come from. Koraga community is one of the two tribal communities that are designated as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PTGs).
The ruling President of India also belongs to a tribal community, she is expected to meet Sundari who is overjoyed about this prospect. Sundari has belonged to the Koraga Dolu team for over thirty years. She is also a member of the Spoorthi Sanjeevini Okkuta. She has been responsible for preserving a distinctive drum played by the Koraga community people for years and the same tradition needs to be followed by their children in an effort to pass it on to the new generations of her.
Meenakshi and Vanitha hailing from the Sullia community are responsible for weaving baskets and other handicrafts from the Adilakshmi Sanjeevani Self-Help Group (SHG). As stated by Meenakshi, she was enthralled and overjoyed when Draupadi Murmu took the oath as the official President of India. She had never expected that she could meet her inspiration one day in her life but she would support the tribal communities in every possible way through her journey. She would offer a handmade shield made of wild creepers to the President while meeting her as a token of gesture.
Before meeting the President, the five distinctive women will first meet the Additional Chief Secretary and the Director of the Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Mission in Bengaluru on 28 February 2024. Further, they will travel to New Delhi to watch the Amrit Udyan.
