Bhubaneswar, Nov. 29: Twenty-seven-year-old Jamuna Mani Singh, a health worker, is on cloud nine. After all it is not everyday that a prime minister of a country applauds somebody for his or her achievements.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the role of Singh in fight against malaria in his popular radio talk Mann Ki Baat.

He had said: "One Asha worker of the village, Jamuna Mani Singh, has resolved not to allow a single malaria related death in the village. She visits every house in the village. She reaches the house as soon as she gets information about someone falling ill... She stresses every house to use insecticide mosquito net."

Modi further said: "Singh works with full dedication to ensure that every child sleeps properly like her own. And she fought against malaria, prepared the entire village to fight against the disease. There will be so many Jamuna Manis."

Singh, an accredited social health activist (Asha) who hails from a non-descript village called Tendagaon on the outskirts of Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary under Nilgiri block in Balasore, was in the paddy field when her relatives rushed to inform her about the rare feat she had achieved. Even the media representatives were sent to the village to take her to Balasore, about 30km from her village, to participate in various TV programmes.

A Class IX passout, Jamuna narrated her story to The Telegraph how she had single-handedly launched a fight against the superstition to save people from succumbing to malaria.

"In my village and surrounding area, people used to believe in witchcraft and black magic. When they fell ill, instead of going to the doctor, they sacrificed goats and hens. I tried my best to make them aware about the ills of superstition. Not a single case of death due to malaria has been reported in the past two years."

She said: "On my insistence, they started going to hospitals. I accompany the patients whenever required either to Nilgiri or to the district headquarter hospital in Balasore,

In 2014, she saved as many as 35 lives. "She has also played a crucial role in birth control," said Balasore chief district medical officer Bhawani Shankar Pani.

Jamuna, who earns Rs 1,000 as remuneration, has never let poverty come in her way. "Money has never played an important role. With our limited income, I am leading a happy life with my son, mother-in-law and husband. My father-in-law, who is a daily labourer, is always in the town searching for jobs."

Jamuna Mani, got posted as a health worker in 2010 and since then she has been working in the health sector. The state government had felicitated her on Independence Day.