SACHIN ADOPTS ANDHRA VILLAGE
ANNOUNCES PROJECTS WORTH RS2.8 CRORES
HYDERABAD: Cricket legend and MP Sachin Tendulkar adopted a village in coastal Andhra under Prime Minister Modi’s Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, on Sunday.
Puttamrajuvari Kandrika, a village in Gudur mandal of Nellore district would receive funds from the Rajya Sabha MP’s LAD funds for its overall development.
On Sunday, Tendulkar laid the foundation for construction of an anganwadi centre, a school with kitchen, community centre and toilets, etc in the village costing about ` 2.8 crore. “We are trying to create a model village that should set an example for the rest of the country. This is just the beginning,” Tendulkar told the villagers.
He spent the entire morning visiting the villager’s houses and huts, seeking to know their problems and even assuring one family with a job and another with education of their kids. He also met the women self help groups and speaking on lines of the Swachh Bharat campaign urged them to follow good hygiene. The cricket legend spoke for education for girls and also urged the men to shun smoking and drinking.
“Many people asked me why this village and my simple answer is I have played for India and I am an Indian. It is my way of saying thank you to all of you for supporting me,” Tendulkar said.
Recalling how Sachin came to know about this village, Nellore district joint collector G Rekha Rani said she found herself in the same flight as the former India captain when she was flying to the United States in September.
Tendulkar then grew interested and agreed to grant funds for developing a village in Nellore district.