Karthyayani Amma, 98, a recipient of Union government’s Nari Shakti Puraskar, has donated the proceeds from two months of her old-age pension to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). She handed over ₹3,000 to the Minister for Local Self-Governments A.C. Moideen at her house in Haripad on Thursday.

Karthyayani shot to fame in 2018 after she scored 98 marks out of 100, topping the Aksharalaksham literacy examination conducted by the KSLMA. She had never gone to school and used to work as a domestic help and cleaning staff. The nonagenarian had got inspiration from her daughter Amminiamma. A school dropout, Amminiamma, had cleared the tenth standard equivalent examination after attending continuing education classes.A widow, Karthyayani is now aiming to clear the Class 10 equivalency examinations. She was also selected as the Commonwealth of Learning Goodwill Ambassador. In March 2020, she received Nari Shakti Puraskar from President Ram Nath Kovind, on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

After handing over the money, Karthyayani told the Minister that she wished to give more to people in difficulty during the COVID-19 times. Mr. Moideen said that she was a role model for society.