Meet the retired headmaster from AP praised by PM Modi for his efforts to educate girl students

Did you have the chance to tune into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat address on May 29, Sunday? Then surely you must have heard the PM laud Markapuram Ram Bhupal Reddy, a retired headmaster from Giddalur in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. The retired headmaster was appreciated for his dedicated efforts in educating girl students.

It was in The New Indian Express' Sunday special Brightside column published on May 8 that the story of this headmaster who is paying for the education of 88 girls in school was published. What followed is several media outlets, including Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR), reaching out to the headmaster.

From his pension benefits, Bhupal Reddy had deposited Rs 25.71 lakh at the Yadavalli village post office to open Sukanya Samrudhhi Yojana accounts for 88 girls over the age of 10 years. The interest amount, which is Rs 41,000, is to be distributed equally and deposited in the 88 accounts every three months till these girls attain the age of 21 years.

Expressing gratitude and thanking TNIE, Bhupal Reddy said, "I am really honoured that the Prime Minister of a country with a population of over 120 crore has mentioned my name for the efforts I've made towards the education of girls in his famous monthly programme. My heart is filled with immense happiness. I think this is more than enough for my life. In fact, I have a done a very small service to help the girl students who came from poor family backgrounds."

Recalling what inspired him to take up the cause, the headmaster said, "I knew many girls who dropped out of schools as their parents were poor and could not afford their studies. This disturbed me and so I decided to do whatever I could to help those little girls."