Dr Narayana a true devotee of Baba following Babas footsteps

An initiative to do away with plastic carrybags

G.V.R. Subba Rao

Vanapamula villagers have decided to make their village eco-friendly

---

A book binding and manufacturing unit inaugurated at Ramapuram
‘The profits earned on the unit will be spent on health care for the aged'

---

PHOTO: V.RAJU

Showing the way:Ramapuram villagers learn nuances of notebook manufacturing at Sri Sai Enterprises, a firm floated for the empowerment of women in the village in Krishna district, on Sunday. —

GUDIVADA: Recognising the ill effects of using plastic carry bags, the Vanapamula villagers have decided to make their village, an environmental-friendly village.
With the assistance of Sai Oral Health Foundation and Sai Annapurana Eco-Friendly Paper Products, the villagers began learning manufacturing of paper carry bags on Sunday.
The women and teenagers, hitherto, were learning tailoring, ‘maggm' and embroidery works at Atluri Ramanujmma Adarsha Mahila Mandali at the village.
As the carry bags have become part and parcel of the life, the villagers have felt that they should make eco-friendly carry bags available at all the stores in their village.
Notwithstanding, the awareness campaigns would be on, says village sarpanch V. Padmasri. The women would manufacture the paper bags for local consumption, and also for commercial purposes, she said.
Foundation Organising Secretary A. S. Narayana, a dentist by profession, said that he was pained to see that all drinking and irrigation canals were being polluted with the plastic carry bags. And, at the same time, it was necessary to make the villagers self reliant. “To address both issues, I felt that manufacturing of paper bags will be a best available option,” he said.
Dr. Narayana, who has roots in Vanapamula, initiated similar initiatives in Ramapuram, a native village of cine actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao, along with some other philanthropists and industrialists.
Sri Sai Enterprises, a book binding and manufacturing unit, was inaugurated at Ramapuram.
The unit set up on Atluri Lakshmi Narayana Swami Kalyana Mandapam would train 20 members initially. The profits earned on book manufacturing unit would be spent on health care for the aged, and education for the children, said Dr. Narayana.
Kakarala Charitable Trust, industrialists like M. Lakshmana Swamy and others lent their helping hand in realising the book binding unit. Trust Chairman K.S.R.K. Prasad, PHC chairman Atluri Raghu Ramabrahmam, ex-sarpanch T. Narayana Das, Sambasiva Rao of Sai Annapurna Eco-Friendly Paper Products, and others were present.