Harshini Kanhekar, India's first firefighter, has been honored

Harshini Kanhekar, the first woman firefighter in India became one of the latest to join the list of women being recognised and honored under the ‘Bharat Ki Lakshmi’ campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in his last Mann Ki Baat radio address urged the citizens to honor the extraordinary achievements of women in the society. The PM on September 29, during the 57th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat', announced the launch of ‘Bharat Ki Lakshmi’ campaign during Diwali.

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So who is Harshini Kanhekar?

Harshini Kanhekar is the first woman firefighter in India. Brought up in Maharashtra's Nagpur, she got her Bachelor's in Science (BSc) degree from Lady Amritabai Daga College. She was always interested in public service and had a sporty attitude. She joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) during her college days and enrolled herself in various competitions. She then applied to the Fire engineering course in 2002 when she was 26-year-old and went on to become the first woman to have got admission in National Fire Service College in Nagpur.

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Harshini then joined the Mehsana fire station in Gujarat in 2006. The town is the second largest onshore production field of the Oil and National Gas Corporation (ONGC). Mehsana has more than 50 oil installations that fall under the jurisdiction of three fire stations. Harshini has always been a station in-charge at either of the three stations for the better part of her career there. She was also conferred with NITI Aayog's Women Transforming India award and the 'First Ladies' award.

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PM's appeal to felicitate women's contribution to nation

"Daughters are considered as Lakshmi in our culture. Can't we felicitate daughters in our villages and cities by holding public programmes? There are several daughters, daughters-in-law who are doing exceptional work ... some are teaching poor children, some are spreading awareness about health and sanitation. Many are serving as doctors, engineers ... as lawyers, they are helping in the delivery of justice. The society can identify such daughters and honor them across India,” he said in his September radio address.

Prime Minister Modi also asked netizens to promote the cause on social media using the hashtag #BharatKiLakshmi as he recalled the earlier success of his ‘selfie with daughter’ campaign. "Encouraging Bharat ki Lakshmi means strengthening the path to success of the country and its people," the leader said.

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