Bhubaneswar (SunstarTV Bureau): A 65-year-old man from Odisha’s Kalahandi district was heaped by praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for planting over 3,000 medicinal plants spread over 1.5 acres of land.
A resident of Nandol village, Patayat Sahu, planted the saplings using organic manure instead of chemical fertilizers. His garden is filled with rare species of plants, including Ashoka, Lodhra, Bidanga, Sambarsingha, Rasnajadi, Tihudi, Bhin Kakharu, Maeda, Sarpagandha and Shatavari. Besides, he has five varieties of Bhringraj, Pengu, Panikusuma, Rajapatha, Nagavel, Debanasan, Jaladimbiri and Jyotismati. He has also grown all the Dasamoola species which are used in many Ayurvedic medicines.
Out of the 3,000 species in his garden, he has collected 500 species from different parts of India during his visits, facilitated by the Odisha Medicinal Plant Board.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann ki Baat address praised Patayat Sahu and said that there has been an increase in curiosity and awareness about healthcare and wellness in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic even kn rural areas.
“Traditionally, natural products which are very much useful for wellness and health are available in abundance in our country. Patayat Sahu ji, who lives in Nandol, Kalahandi, Odisha, has been doing this unique work in this area for years,” the PM said
“He has planted medicinal plants on one-and-a-half acres of land. Not only this, Sahu ji has also carried out documentation of these medicinal plants,” he added.
The prime minister also praised the linking of agriculture with the field of health, saying it “is an example in itself”.
