Addressing the milestone 100th episode of his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reconnected with Tongbram Bijiyashanti, resident of Manipur who has established a business weaving fabric from lotus stem yarns. Her venture has seen steady growth, giving gainful employment to rural women.
Speaking to Bijiyashanti on Sunday, PM Modi congratulated her on increasing the strength of her workforce to 30. “In such a short period, you have reached a 30-person team!” the PM said. The young entrepreneur replied that she is gunning for further expansion, targeting a workforce of 100 women.
She also thanked the PM for making her lotus stem fibre initiative famous on the Mann Ki Baat programme. “Everyone knows about the lotus stem fibre from the Mann Ki Baat programme… I have got market from the US as well. They want to buy from me in bulk.”
#MannkiBaat100Episode: PM Modi speaks to Manipur's Tongbram Bijay Shanti about her success story with lotus yarn startup Haryana man on mission to clean up litter from Himalayas, also finds a place in the 100th episode of #MannKiBaat #MannKiBaatAt100 #PMModi @NarendraModi pic.twitter.com/mKs1ATyduO— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 30, 2023
Prime Minister Modi had first appreciated her innovative efforts in his Mann Ki Baat programme in 2020.
The young entrepreneur from Bishenpur district, who lives close to lotus-filled Loktak lake, has employed women, who work from homes, and plans to engage more locals in her start-up in the days to come.
The finished products made from the silk-like yarn, ranging from scarves, mufflers, and neckties, are sent to various metropolitan cities, including Mumbai and Kolkata, where they are in great demand.
“The idea to extract fibres from lotus stems came to me in 2014, following which I researched and trained myself in the art by reading multiple journals and watching videos,” Bijiyashanti, the eldest of three siblings, told news agency PTI in September last year.
She launched her company ‘Sanajing Sana Thambal’ in 2018, opening new avenues in the field of textiles and creating job opportunities for local women.
“First, I taught some local women for at least two weeks the technique involved in extracting the fibre and spinning the thread. Next, based on their skills, I gave them work, which they undertake from their homes,” the entrepreneur had explained.
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