Surendra Singh Choudhary, the 20-year-old from Madhya Pradesh who won widespread praise online for taking it upon himself to clean the trash-filled Ajnar River, has now received recognition from Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. Choudhary, popularly known as Bittu Tabahi, recently met the chief minister at his residence in Bhopal, where Yadav praised his determination and efforts towards restoring the river.
Sharing a video of their interaction on X, Yadav wrote in Hindi, which translates to English as: “Had a warm interaction at my Bhopal residence with Surendra Singh Choudhary, popularly known as ‘Bittu Tabahi’, a son of Biaora. Through his determination and strong resolve, Bittu has not only cleaned the Ajnar River but has also sent a powerful message to society that meaningful change does not always require a large crowd; sometimes, one sincere initiative is enough to make a difference. He reportedly began the cleanup mission in January and gradually transformed sections of the polluted river.
Choudhary has spent around ₹ 30,000 on the project so far, according to digital content creator KR Talks.
The chief minister further said that Choudhary’s initiative strengthened the spirit of the Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan, aimed at conserving and rejuvenating water sources through public participation.
In March, Mahindra wrote, “This young man from Biaora, M.P, was criticised for claiming to have cleaned parts of a river just in order to gain social media views. Well, we usually complain that social media rewards the trivial rather than the meaningful. So if a desire for ‘likes’ can become a force for good that’s fine with me. Bittu Tabahi from Biaora is my #MondayMotivation.”
His initiative had earlier drawn praise from industrialist Anand Mahindra.
