NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, JUNE 27
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India accomplished an unprecedented feat when a record number of vaccine doses were administered to over 86 lakh people in a single day.
Addressing at the monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme on AIR, the Prime Minister said the country achieved this feat on the 21st of June, when the next phase of vaccination campaign commenced. He said this became a topic for discussion everywhere as such a huge number of free vaccinations was administered by the government in a single day.
Modi stressed that efforts must continue to ensure that every citizen is able to avail the safety that the vaccine provides. He pointed out that myriad organizations and members of civil society have come forward in many places in order to end vaccine hesitancy. The Prime Minister spoke to some people from Dulariya village of Betul district in Madhya Pradesh and allayed their misgivings about the vaccine.
Immensely grateful to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji for being a great admirer of Tamil culture and Tamil language. Hon'ble PM has highlighted the fact that Tamil is the World's oldest and greatest language .
#MannKiBaat @PMOIndia @narendramodi— Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan (மோடியின் குடும்பம் ) (@DrTamilisai4BJP) June 27, 2021
The Prime Minister said someday people of villages and forest dwellers displaying their capabilities and understanding in the pandemic will become a subject of case study for the world someday. He said village people set up quarantine centres, and made Covid protocol as per local requirements.
He said village people ensured that no one went hungry and work in the fields continued even in the midst of the pandemic. The villages also ensured daily supply of milk and vegetables to nearby cities. He said the same dedication should be followed in the vaccination campaign too. He said the goal for all villages should be the vaccination of each and every eligible person. He said the decisive mantra for success is continuity. He cautioned against exercising any form of laxity saying that efforts have to be made continuously to register victory over COVID.
Modi said each and every person of the country has played their part in this fight against the pandemic, whether they are bank staff, teachers, small traders or shopkeepers, street vendors, security persons or postmen. He stated that innumerable people have been involved with government and administration at different levels to tackle COVID.
Lost Karma Yogi ‘Guru Prasad Mohapatra’ Secretary to Government
The Prime Minister remembered Guru Prasad Mohapatra who was the Secretary to the Government of India. He was admitted to the hospital for COVID. At the same time, the Secretary was performing his official duties as well. The official toiled day and night to increase the oxygen producing capacities of the country and to ensure that oxygen reached far flung areas. He expressed sadness that the country lost this Karma Yogi to Corona. He added that to pay fitting tribute to every such Corona warrior, people must follow COVID protocol fully and get vaccinated.
The Prime Minister also spoke about legendary athlete Milkha Singh who passed away due to COVID. He said he had urged Milkha Singh to boost the morale of players who are going to Tokyo Olympics but unfortunately, providence had other plans. He asked people to participate in the Road to Tokyo Quiz, to know about India’s performances earlier and preparations for Tokyo Olympics. He said there are many interesting questions in the Road To Tokyo Quiz on MyGov.
PM exhorts Olympic contingent from India
The Prime Minister said most sportspersons hail from smaller towns and villages. He said the team going to the Tokyo Olympics has many such players whose lives are very inspiring. He mentioned Praveen Jadhav who hails from a village in Satara district of Maharashtra. He is very good at Archery. His parents run the family by working as labourers and now their son is going to participate in his first Olympics at Tokyo. Modi said this is a matter of great pride not only for his parents but for the country. Similarly, he mentioned Neha Goyal who is a member of the women’s hockey team going to Tokyo. Her mother and sisters manage family expenses by working in a cycle factory. The Prime Minister also spoke about Deepika Kumari whose life has been full of ups and downs. Deepika’s father drives an auto rickshaw and her mother is a nurse. Deepika is at present the only female archer from India in the Tokyo Olympics.
The Prime Minister said players going to Tokyo faced scarcity of means and resources in their childhood, but persevered and endured with fortitude. Modi gave the example of Priyanka Goswami of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka’s father is a bus conductor. As a child, Priyanka adored the bag that the medal winners were presented with. It was this fascination that made her participate in the Race-Walking competition for the first time.
Now, she is a big champion of Race Walking. The Prime Minister also cited the example of Shivpal Singh, who participates in Javelin Throw and hails from Banaras. Shivpal’s entire family is associated with this sport. His father, uncle and brother are all experts at javelin throw. The Prime Minister also presented the example of Chirag Shetty and his partner Satwik Sairaj who are going for the Tokyo Olympics. Recently, Chirag’s maternal grandfather died of COVID.
Satwik himself tested COVID positive last year. Despite these hurdles, both of them are preparing to give their best in the Men’s Double Shuttle Competition. The Prime Minister also introduced another player, Manish Kaushik of Bhiwani, Haryana. Manish comes from an agricultural family. While working in the fields in his childhood, Manish became fond of boxing. Mr Modi said this hobby of his is taking him to Tokyo today. He also mentioned C.A. Bhavani Devi who is adroit at fencing. Bhavani, who hails from Chennai, is the first Indian fencer to qualify in the Olympics. Mr Modi said Bhavani’s mother had mortgaged her jewellery to continue her training.
I am also thankful to Sri @KirenRijiju Sir, @Media_SAI, @IndiaSports, Fencing Association of India and Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu for their consistent support.@ANI @PTI_News @VPSecretariat
— C A Bhavani Devi (@IamBhavaniDevi) June 27, 2021
The Prime Minister stated that every player going to Tokyo has had their own share of struggles, and years of toil. He said they are going not only for themselves but also for the country. Mr Modi advised people to not pressurize these players knowingly or unknowingly, but support them with an open mind and bolster their enthusiasm. He asked them to send their wishes to these players with #Cheer4India on social media.
Stresses water conservation as a form of service
The Prime Minister said he considers water conservation as a form of service to the country. He specially mentioned Satchidanand Bharti of Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand. Mr Bharti is a teacher and has imparted very good education to the people through his deeds. Due to his hard work, the huge water crisis in the Ufrainkhal area of Pauri Garhwal has come to an end.
Modi also spoke about a traditional method of water conservation, which is called Chalkhal. It involves digging a big pit to collect water. Mr Bharti also added some new methods to this tradition. He regularly got small and big ponds dug. Due to this, not only the hills of Ufrainkhal turned green, but the problem of drinking water of the people was also solved. Modi expressed his awe that more than 30 thousand such water tanks were constructed. He termed it very inspiring.
He also noted how the people of Andhav village in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh have made an innovative effort and given a very interesting name to their campaign – Khet ka pani khet mein, gaon ka pani gaon mein. Under this campaign, high bunds have been raised in several hundred bighas of fields of the village. As a result, rain water started collecting in the field, and started percolating into the ground. Now, these people are also planning to plant trees on the bunds of the fields. Farmers will now get all three – water, trees and money!
Modi said everyone must take inspiration from all these efforts, and conserve water in whatever way possible. He said this crucial period of monsoon season must not be missed. The Prime Minister used a Sanskrit quote – “नास्ति मूलम् अनौषधम्” – Nasti Moolam Anoushadham – that is, there is no such plant on earth which does not have any medicinal properties.
Modi said there are many such trees and plants, which have amazing properties which people are unaware of. He mentioned Paritosh from Nainital who wrote to him on the same subject. Paritosh had written that he came to know about miraculous medicinal properties of Giloy and many other plants only after the outbreak of Corona. Mr Modi also spoke about Ramlotan Kushwaha from Satna of Madhya Pradesh, who has built a museum of indigenous plants on his farm. In this museum, he has collected hundreds of medicinal plants and seeds from far flung regions.
Expresses gratitude to doctors’ contribution during Corona period
Modi said the country celebrates National Doctors Day on the 1 st of July. This day is dedicated to the birth anniversary of the great doctor and statesman, Dr B.C. Roy. Modi expressed gratitude for the contribution of doctors in the Corona period. He also said there are many people in the country who have come forward and worked to help the doctors. He gave the example of one such attempt from Srinagar where a Boat Ambulance Service was started at Dal Lake. This service was started by Tariq Ahmad Patloo of Srinagar, who is a Houseboat Owner.
The Prime Minister said Chartered Accountants Day is also celebrated on the 1st of July. He extended his best wishes to all Chartered Accountants and their family members.
Amrit Mahotsav on Aug 15
Prime Minister Modi said 15th August is also approaching and Amrit Mahotsav of 75 years of Independence is a big inspiration. He said people’s mantra should be – India First – and every decision should have the basis of India First.
He said the country has also set many collective goals in the Amrit Mahotsav. He stressed on the need to revive the history related to freedom fighters by remembering them. In an earlier Mann Ki Baat Prime Minister had appealed to the youth to research and write the history of the freedom struggle. He expressed happiness that in a very short time, more than two thousand five hundred young persons have come forward to do this. He termed it a matter of joy that the youth who have been born and brought up in the 21st century have taken up cudgels to bring to the forefront the history of the Freedom Struggle of 19th and 20th century. These people will be writing on the freedom struggle in different languages such as Hindi – English, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi – Malayalam, and Gujarati.
The Prime Minister also read a letter by R. Guruprasad from Chennai who appreciated that Modi spoke about Tamil culture in Mann Ki Baat. Mr Modi said Guruprasad feels proud of Tamil language. He further stated that every Indian should cherish and feel proud that the most ancient language of the world, Tamil, belongs to India. Courtesy: AIR
