11 sanitation workers in Kerala jointly win Rs 10 crore jackpot, say they’ll continue in their jobs

Malappuram: Eleven sanitation workers from Parappanangadi municipality in Malappuram district of Kerala, who had pooled money to buy a ticket of the state government's monsoon bumper lottery, were filled with happiness on Friday when they jointly won the Rs 10 crore prize.
The 11 women were members of the Haritha Karma Sena of the municipality, which is responsible for collecting waste from households and segregating it into non-biodegradable and biodegradable categories. The lottery result was declared on Wednesday. It took about a day to identify the lucky winners of Parappanangadi.
Sheeja, Parvathi, Bindu Kozhukkumal, Leela Kurulil, Rashmi Pullancheri, Karthiyayani Pattanath, Radha Mundupalathil, Kuttimalu Cherukuttiyil, Baby Cherumannil, Chandrika Thudusseri and Sobha Kurulil were the winners of the Kerala Monsoon Bumper.
The ticket price was Rs 250, which they bought by pooling the money. They said they would continue their sanitation work even after getting the jackpot.
“I can’t describe my feelings. It’s god’s gift. We have been struggling to make both ends meet with the job we do. But we are engaged in a meaningful work which is collecting non-biodegradable waste from houses and business establishments for recycling. Though we won the lottery, we will continue with this job,” said one of the women.
The women said that this was their fourth lottery which they jointly bought and before this jackpot they had Rs 1,000 in the Onam bumper draw.
The first prize winning lottery (MB 200261) was distributed by an agency based in Palakkad, and the women bought the lottery from a seller at Kuttippuram.
They will get ₹6.3 crore each after deducting taxes and the agency commission. Several people, including civic authorities of Parappanangadi led by municipal chairman Usman Ammarambath, congratulated the Haritha Karma Sena members on winning the bumper prize. The women handed over the ticket to Punjab National Bank’s Parappanangadi branch.