Bhubaneswar March 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday showered praise on Jagatsinghpur’s Silu Nayak who trains hundreds of Armed Forces aspirants at his institute free of cost. In his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi lauded Nayak’s selfless act of training youths from his village and nearby areas for his commitment to train and produce soldiers for the country.
“Nayak ji could not succeed in getting selected to Odisha Police himself but his efforts and dedication have helped local youths to join various streams of Armed Forces after getting trained from his institute free of cost.
It is really praiseworthy and an inspiration to others,” the PM said and urged him to create more ‘nayaks’ (heroes) for the country and keep up the good act.
Nayak’s inspirational story featured in TNIE’s January 24 edition drawing PM Modi’s attention. Popularly known as ‘Nayak Sir’, the spirited 28-year-old, a resident of Arakhuda village under Nuagaon police limits, has set up an institute named ‘Mahaguru Battalion’ on the dry Devi river bed.
In last five years, he has trained around 300 youths of whom 70 have been recruited in the Armed Forces. Of them, 18 have joined the Indian Army, three enlisted into the Indian Air Forces, six into the Navy, and four each have been recruited by the CRPF and BSF. The rest have been employed in various private security agencies.
Thanking PM Modi for the appreciation, Nayak said, “His mention of me has come as a sweet surprise and his words have inspired me to work harder and serve my country in all ways possible.” He also requested the government to help him take this initiative forward. “Lack of land and housing facilities prove to be a hindrance in training more youth. Therefore, I have sought the intervention of PM Modi to help us overcome these roadblocks so that everyone interested can avail the training,” added Nayak.