New Delhi: A real aam aadmi has made his way to the parliament with his hard work and he is even included in the ministry by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took notice of his dedication. Yes, we are talking about Pratap Chandra Sarangi.

Sarangi, who had a long association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh  (RSS), is now a Minister of State (MoS) in the Modi cabinet.

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Who is Sarangi

Sarangi, who fought the 2009 Odisha Assembly elections as an Independent candidate, has been working for giving education to poor people for a long time. According to locals, he has been dedicated to educating poor people all his life and even opened various schools for the poor in tribal villages in Balasore and Mayurbhanj District. They are called Samar Kara Kendra.

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The 64-year-old also lives a simple life. He stays in a house made with mud and bamboo and a thatched roof with his widowed mother. He doesn’t own any luxurious item and is always seen travelling a bicycle or a cycle rickshaw. He also gave away the maximum amount of his pension to educate poor children in Odisha.

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Early life

Sarangi initially wanted to become a monk and made multiple visits to Belur Math in Howrah, Bengal. After having a conversation with the newly made ministry, the monks realised that he has the responsibility of a widowed mother. They insisted that Pratap Sarangi should go back and serve her. Sarangi then decided to dedicate his life to poor people and after returning from Howrah, he got involved in social activities. He also became MLA twice. He also defeated the sitting BJD MP and industrialist Rabindra Kumar Jena by 12,956 votes in the recent Lok Sabha polls. 

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With inputs from agencies