Woman goes into labour at Mann Ki Baat conclave, delivers baby boy in hospital

Poonam Devi, a member of a self-help group in Uttar Pradesh who was rushed to a hospital after she went into labour pain while attending the Mann Ki Baat @100 Conclave here, gave birth to a baby boy.

The 24-year-old woman had travelled to the national capital from Samaisa village near Lakhimpur Kheri as a special invitee as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mentioned her achievements in creating additional sources of income for women in one of the episodes of Mann Ki Baat, his monthly radio programme.

On Wednesday afternoon, Poonam went into labour at Vigyan Bhawan and had to be rushed to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where she delivered a healthy baby boy.

"It was a normal delivery. The baby was born at 6:42 pm. It was an emotional moment for us to have our baby born in Delhi. We have decided to name him Aditya," said Poonam's husband Pramod Kumar.

Kumar said that he was against the idea of travelling to the national capital for the conclave given his wife's advanced stage of pregnancy. "But she was insistent on attending the conclave as it recognised and celebrated her work in the self-help group in the village," he said.

Kumar, who is a farmer, has since returned to his village with his wife and the newborn.

Poonam heads the Maa Saraswati Prerna Gram Sangathan, a self-help group in Samaisa village in Lakhimpur Kheri. The self-help group produces handbags, mats, and other items using fibre from banana stems, an initiative that provides an additional source of income for women in the village and also contributes to reducing waste.

Poonam was among the 100 invitees whose names had been mentioned by the prime minister in his Mann Ki Baat episodes for their exceptional contribution to society. The day-long conclave was organized to celebrate the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat which is scheduled to be aired on Sunday.

The conclave was inaugurated by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Railways Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw, and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur were among those who addressed the conclave.