Yellappa, now 35, had dropped out of school in Grade 7, but his time in prison gave him the chance to reflect and reevaluate the decisions he had made. It was at the time that he decided to get back to studying.
The Coir Board will be making the huts entirely from parts of a coconut tree such as its trunk and leaves, to make it look and feel different and natural.
A 16-year-old girl, whose father refused to build a toilet for her and her mother, received a surprise gift from panchayat officials who built her a toilet in one day.