Bengaluru: What do you do with fallen coconut leaves? Well, many discard them as nuisance. 

But here is a novel way to make use of these leaves! 

They can be used to make straws! 

As interesting as it may sound, a start-up in Bengaluru, started in 2018, makes straws out of these leaves. 

What is another interesting feature about this startup is that it employs only women. 

First, it collects such fallen leaves from farms. Then they are put through a rigorous practice so that they are thoroughly cleaned. 

The good thing about these leaves is that they are very strong. The mid ribs that hold the leaves together are used to make broomsticks. 

All the women who are employed are taken care of well by the company. They number around 150 and all hail from economically poorer sections. 

It is also heartening to note that these women take care of everything. This includes collection of leaves to the final product. 

Finally, after these products are made, they are exported to countries like Canada, Australia, Germany and UAE. 

In all, the company makes around 10,000 straws per day. 

Such endeavours go a long way in making India a self-reliant nation. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat is to make India grow bigger economically and look inwards for better and efficient management of its resources. 

It also underlines that the nation honours the global demand and not necessarily become an isolated entity.