KTR commends youngster for transforming government primary school into plastic-free campus

A young student from Khammam district, Duggidevara Sri Raghunandan, was appreciated by BRS working president KT Rama Rao for his sustained efforts to improve a government primary school and promote environmental awareness.

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Friday appreciated Duggidevara Sri Raghunandan for his decade-long efforts to develop a government primary school and promote environmental awareness, turning it into a plastic-free campus. The youngster is a native of Mallaram village in Tallada mandal of Khammam district. 

Raghunandan met Rama Rao at Telangana Bhavan here and explained the initiatives he had undertaken since 2016 to improve the school, inspired by actor Mahesh Babu’s film “Srimanthudu”. He began the effort with the support of his parents, Ajay Kumar and Vijayalakshmi, after adopting the school on the occasion of BRS chief and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s birthday in 2016.

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His initiatives focus on infrastructure, cleanliness, greenery, water conservation and the elimination of plastic use. He provided steel water bottles and plates for all 51 students, along with steel bins for segregating wet and dry waste, soap boxes and trays. Aluminium buckets and mugs, as well as glass bottles for storing laboratory materials, have also been supplied.

Raghunandan said his aim was to educate children about the environmental damage caused by plastic and encourage eco-friendly habits from an early age. The school has received several honours for its cleanliness initiatives, including the national-level Swachh Vidyalaya Award in 2016-17 and State and district-level awards in subsequent years. It won another district-level award in 2025-26.

Rama Rao praised Raghunandan’s commitment to social responsibility at a young age and assured him of continued encouragement.