My heartfelt greetings to the National President of Bharatiya Janata Party Shri Rajnath Singh Ji, State President of Bharatiya Janata Party Shri Prahlad Joshi Ji, Respected Shri Venkaiah Naidu Ji, General Secretary of BJP Shri Thawar Chand Ji Gehlot, Shri Ananth Kumar Ji, our former Chief Minister Shri Sadananda Gowda Ji, Shri Jagadish Shettar Ji, all the senior leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party on the dais and all my brothers and sisters from Bangalore and Karnataka!

// A part of speech in Kannada //

Friends, today when I have stepped on the land of Bangalore, first and foremost I would like to extend my sincerest compliments to Bharat Ratna Prof. C. N. Rao, who has made India proud in the area of Science. I would also like to congratulate Sachin Tendulkar, who has taken India to new heights in the area of sports and is an inspiration to the youth of the country, on the occasion of his felicitation with the Bharat Ratna!

Friends, our Bangalore has got its name marked in the developmental journey of country, even before independence. The first city in India where electrification was done is Bangalore. This is the century of knowledge and today all over India, whether it is the area of research or of higher education, whether it is a matter of center for excellence or anything else, Bangalore is ahead of all in every area and it has made its identity as the knowledge city. I congratulate all the people of Karnataka for this, and heartily compliment them!

Friends, I have got the opportunity to come here many times during elections, I have seen many political events here. Friends, in the history of Karnataka, no political party got the opportunity to witness such a spectacular sight, and I would like to congratulate you all for this. Wherever my sight rests, it seems as if saffron waves are tiding. What a sight you have presented, friends! I was asking to Prahlad Ji, Ananth Ji and the in-charge of this rally Ashok Ji that when and where was such a scene sighted before this? They told me that not only in the history of BJP, but in the entire political history of Karnataka, there has not been such a huge event of any political party. Friends, this itself is a great achievement of the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party, and I congratulate you all for this!

Shri Narendra Modi  addressing Bharatha Gellisi Rally in Bengalore, Karnataka

Friends, these days the attacks on BJP have just intensified, attacks on Narendra Modi have also aggravated by manifold! These attacks have increased because neither can these people see this sight, nor can they digest it, and thus they use such language, make such conspiracies and use do-not-know-what-kind-of-methods to demotivate BJP!

Friends, today I want to remember two Prime Ministers of our nation together. If we have to change the destiny of India and take it ahead, then we can only do this by the slogans given by these two great men. Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji said, ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ and respected Prime Minister of India Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji said, ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan’!

Friends, today the IT professionals and the software engineers of our Bangalore, Karnataka have made the world recognize their strength and have made India proud. If, after Silicon Valley, somewhere in the world that the IT profession is at such a large scale, then that city is Bangalore and the state is Karnataka! Friends, how did this get possible? When there was NDA government and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was India’s Prime Minister, at that time a separate Ministry of Information Technology was formed for the first time in India, and special arrangements were made for that, budgets were allocated, and it was established as a focus area through an independent setup. After that, the youth of India never looked back. The youth of my nation with their magic on computers succeeded in attracting the world and made the entire world recognize the potential of India!

Friends, in 2003, the government of Atal Ji for the first time formulated a policy for science and technology. In 2000, the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji first time formulated IT act. The dream that Atal Ji saw for the modern India, and he emphasized on science and technology, that dream was related to the youth of India, to his future and the ‘Moon Mission’ that Atal Ji announced from the Red Fort on 15th August, 2003. Today we can proudly say that the dream that Atal Ji saw on 15th August 2003, the youth and scientists of this nation realized it in 2008 and we started toward Chandrayaan successfully! Friends, this is the miracle of science and technology policy that recently we are also moving towards the Mars Mission successfully!

Shri Narendra Modi  addressing Bharatha Gellisi Rally in Bengalore, Karnataka

Friends, the great men are foresighted, they develop systems, but when the systems go into the wrong hands, the plight that the nation faces is well-known to the IT professionals. Well, when it was Atal Ji’s government in the country, the growth rate of IT sector in the country was 40%, when UPA-1 came to power, it reduced from 40% and dropped to 30%. Who suffered this loss? This was the loss to the future of the youth, there were questions on the youth associated with IT sector. Not only that, with advent of UPA-2, the growth rate of 40% at the time of Atal Ji, today dropped to 9%! You people tell me, if there’s no growth, then where will the youth get employment! You people tell me, when there will be no growth, how will there be any export, how will the youth get employed, and if the youth of nation gets unemployed, what will be the fate of our nation?

Friends, we are not able to develop as many Centers for Excellence in India as are required. Sometimes I think that India has the longest railway network in the world, there is expertise needed to work for the railways, their engineers are given a different kind of training in it, a different kind of quality is provided in railway management. Can’t the Indian Railways itself open four good universities in the four corners of the country to prepare required manpower like engineers, technicians, managers equipped with skills and electronic knowledge, in which the youth of our nation can be prepared and efficiency of the railways is increased? Couldn’t we modernize our railways this way? Couldn’t we make railways more useful to the people this way? But these people have made railways also a part of their politics. Increase a coach here, add a route there, make voters of this place happy, keep the railways running to win the elections; and as a result of it, the entire railway network is on a slump today, this is their thinking!

Friends, today the economic condition of the country is very much in crisis. These days there is a competition that whether the rupee will fall lower or the reputation of the UPA government! Who will fall the lowest, there is a competition going on for it! Friends, the current account deficit has taken the country in a deep economic crisis. The value of rupee is falling every day, it seems as if the rupee of UPA government is in ICU! The main reason of current account deficit is that we are not able to export enough in the sector of import and export. Earlier the growth of software was 40% which has today dropped down to 9%, because of which our export has dropped. On the other hand, what did the UPA government in Delhi do, they announced the Pink Revolution. What is this Pink Revolution? Pink revolution is export of mutton and meat! Because of this the invaluable cattle of India is being slaughtered illegally. The Delhi government is introducing new schemes and incentives for the export of mutton and meat. I want to ask the UPA government in Delhi that, the way you are announcing policies for the slaughterhouses, the way banks are ready to fund the slaughterhouses, if you would have introduced such schemes for the youth of Karnataka, if you would have brought such special packages for them, incentives for software engineering, incentives for infrastructure and incentives for exports were introduced, then today the situation of current account deficit would not have prevailed, our youth would have made the nation proud by exporting the software and our cattle would have been saved, the livestock would have been safe. Not only this, look at their priorities, just now they have formed a new government in Karnataka, and look at their mentality, the first decision they took in the cabinet was to put a stopper to the act that the BJP government has induced for protection of the cows, so that their vote bank politics can strive! When the first UPA government came in power, their first step was to eradicate the POTA act, so that their vote bank politics continues and the terrorists get full freedom, the naxalites get full freedom! Friends, they are giving such huge subsidies to the slaughterhouses that you can’t even imagine. Friends, I have come here to request you that this Delhi government has no attachment with the people, they have no connect with the people, they are the people sitting in the ivory towers. They are the indoor players, while we play outdoors!

Shri Narendra Modi  addressing Bharatha Gellisi Rally in Bengalore, Karnataka

Friends, today the entire world is discussing that who will rule the 21st century! Some say it will be of Asia, some say of China and some say of India. Friends, it is the dream of all of us to make 21st century, the century of India. Answer me everyone, will you make 21st century, the century of India? Will you make India renowned in the 21st century? Friends, there are so many opportunities to make this century the century of India because we have two such invaluable assets which our competitors do not have! We are fortunate that we have a vibrant democracy, the largest democracy of the world, and the second strength is that we are the youngest nation in the world. Today 65% population of India is below the age of 35. Friends, the country which has such a large force of youth, the country which can rule the world with the mind and arms of youth, if we pay attention to the youth of the country, then we can contribute in changing the face of the world..! But for Congress, youth is just a bank of voters, but for us youth is power, it is the power of the nation and our priority is to empower the youth. The more we will empower the youth, more powerful India will be, we are moving ahead with this dream..! 

Friends, when the country has such strengths of vibrant democracy and demographic dividend, then it is possible to do it. I said this already that they do not have any vision or any plan for the youth. Every country in the world uses the power of youth in building the nation and for it they are focusing on skill development. Skill development is a priority for every nation in the world. Friends, today there is an employment crisis in India, the youth is unemployed, Congress promised to give employment to the youth but Delhi government has not been successful in fulfilling that promise. All my young friends, answer me today that has anyone of you got a job from Delhi government, has anyone got employment through them? Not only this, they have committed the crime of de-employing crores of youngsters. The factories are closed, electricity is not being generated, the coal is devoured, not only coal but the coal files are also devoured and they say in the Supreme Court that the files are missing; not only the files but the entire government is missing! For Supreme Court only the coal files have gone missing, but for India the life has gone missing..! The entire world is working on skill development to employ the youth, but what has our Delhi government done for skill development? You will be shocked to know that the Government of India’s budget for skill development in entire India is Rs. 1000 crore. Gujarat is a small state but its budget for skill development is Rs. 800 crore! Why is it so? Because it is not their priority, because they do not care for the future of India, because they are not concerned for the strengthening of the youth!

Friends, what have these people done till date..? They are in government since 2004, entire world is emphasizing on skill development, India is the youngest nation, and thus our first priority should be skill development. In 2008 a committee was formed by Delhi government and was named as Prime Minister National Council on skill development. A huge committee was constituted associating with the name of the Prime Minister. Friends, it is a matter to understand that within 25 days of its constitution, they formed another committee, one more child was given birth! They formed a skill development coordination board. Look at their condition, they started a second venture within 25 days and then did not do anything for next 2.5 years, they did not discuss anything, not cared, not planned any schemes, did nothing for next 2.5 years, they kept mum for 2.5 years. After this in 2011, an office of skill development advisory was opened. What did they do after 2.5 years, opened an office of Prime Minister’s skill development advisor, and in 2013 they closed all of them, all that was constituted was shut down and constituted a skill development agency, now what business will this agency do, that time will tell, because it is just new and formed few months back only!

Friends, they would not have done this if they were at all concerned about the youth! They do not even care about democracy, it is the character of Congress to suffocate the democracy. The democracy of India was demolished at the time of emergency, the media was restricted, and emergency was induced. I am again being reminded of those days! You would have noticed that the IT professionals are all over the social media these days. Social media is on a boom everywhere. Every person is raising his voice through social media. And the government of Delhi, it is afraid of social media and are trying new means everyday to shackle social media, to impose controls on it, because they have no faith in democracy.

Friends, lately the Minister of Information Dept. has sent an advisory to the media of India, especially the electronic media. It is pronounced as an advisory but it seems to be a deceptive threat letter, which in a manner seems to be introducing a detainment on media. The advisory that they gave was that on 15th August the Prime Minister made his speech from the Red Fort, an important event, a matter of pride for the position of Prime Minister as per the constitution, it is a matter of national pride, so after his speech how could media telecast the speech of Narendra Modi, a small Chief Minister of a small state, from Lalan College, Kutch? They got fuming that how did they telecast the speech of Modi equivalent to the Prime Minister? The Delhi government released a warning in the name of advisory. Not only this, this incident also presents an example of what irreverence do they have for the democracy!

Friends, Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar Ji! You all are Kannadiga, do you respect her? Do you listen to her songs? Do you feel happy and peaceful listening to her voice? Do you feel proud taking her name? Do you feel like bowing down to the Indian Army listening to the tunes of ‘Aye mere watan ke logon’? She is a name of national pride! A few days back Lata Mangeshkar Ji said that if Modi Ji becomes the Prime Minister of India, then it would be good! Now you people tell me, does everyone have the right to express their opinion in the democracy or not? If someone says that Modi should be imprisoned for life, does he have the right to say that or not? If someone says that Modi should be hanged till death, does he have the right to say that or not? If someone says that Modi should be made the Prime Minister, does he have the right to say that or not? You will be surprised to know that my friends from  Congress, the leaders of UPA, they got infuriated, they created a havoc and declared that Bharat Ratna should be taken back from Lata Mangeshkar who endorses Modi becoming Prime Minister! Congress party does not have any faith and reverence in democracy!

Friends, an international organization, Goldman Sachs, which conducts research in the entire world and work in the area of management and economics, that organization said that since Modi’s name has come forward, Bharatiya Janata Party is moving ahead rapidly and because of that the scene of the market is changing, the Indian economy has got its breath back, and if Modi keeps moving ahead, then the economy of India will be back on the track running ahead! Such a survey which was conducted by an international agency was published in the newspapers. Those people are saying that the economy of India will improve, this is a subject of national pride and celebration, but instead of that the Congress attacked them, their ministers got offended that what does Goldman Sachs thinks of itself, who gave it the right to say that etc! Friends, is this the language of democracy? Is there such attitude in democracy? They are not ready to listen to the other’s opinion! Not only this, there are elections going on in four states, opinion polls were released and they got irritated, and announced that opinion polls should not be shown on television! Till when will you hide, now it is your time to leave! The country’s opinion is decided, whether the opinion is telecasted on television or not, but the opinion is being fully reflected in the voice of the people!

Friends, not only this, they have no faith in the constitutional bodies in the democracy. I am very responsibly putting this allegation that the UPA government in Delhi is not running because of majority, it is running because of the exploits of CBI! Whenever the government is about to fall, CBI knocks the doors of SP, sometimes BSP, takes out someone’s file or the other’s and people stand with Congress out of fear and UPA survives! Friends, this is not democracy, this is not the manner of democracy and thus today I have come here to say that the Congress party which does not have any faith in the youth, which has no faith in science, which has no reverence for democracy, their only priority is the politics of vote bank!

Friends, a year back or so, Shri Chidambaram Ji came here and he gave a statement in your city. He said that you can buy bottled water for Rs. 15, ice-creams for Rs. 20 but if the price of wheat goes up by 1 Rupee, you start complaining about it! Tell me Friends, what mentality is this? Is this language right for the poor of the nation? And along with it, he said that will the government bother about the urban middle class of India? Why, isn’t the urban middle class citizens of India, doesn’t the urban middle class work for India, is the urban middle class not paying tax, does the urban middle class not have the right to express their opinion? He said this and taunted you with the 15-20 rupees statement!

Friends, look at their thinking in the context of inflation, they say that if someone’s daily household income is Rs. 26, they are not poor! Tell me Friends, the person who earns 26 Rupees daily and has a family of 5, is he poor or not? You tell me, such a person is poor or not? You believe he is poor, but Delhi government does not believe so! You only tell me, what will you get in 26 rupees? One does not even get 300 grams onions in Rs. 26, then how will the poor man feed his family? Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay has shown us the path of Antyodaya, he has shown us the path of serving the under privileged, it is the duty and deeds of Bharatiya Janata party to serve the poorest of the poor, to be concerned about him, and this path was paved by Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay for us! And one of the leaders of Congress acclaim that poverty is just a state of mind! They are making fun of the poor. Friends, they do not care about the price rise, they do not care for the economy, they are busy running their own business!

Friends, just a few days back a cricket match was being played on the Wankhede Stadium. Sachin Tendulkar was about to retire, entire nation became Sachinated, everything was being connected to Sachin and people in Wankhede were betting that whether Sachin Tendulkar will make century or the prices of onion will! These people have taken the situation of inflation at this level!

Friends, the Prime Minister constituted a committee to control food price inflation, and I do not know for what reasons, he made me the chairman of the committee and connected four Chief Ministers with me. Friends, we submitted a report to the Government of India working really hard on it, that report was not very lengthy, it touched very focused and specific issues and the Prime Minister himself appreciated me a lot on seeing it. I gave him 20 recommendations and 64 detailed acts to control inflation and balance the market, that this should be done, this way! Friends, they are not bothered about the poor, about inflation! The report that I gave in 2011 is still lying in files and no one has ever bothered to go through it! Friends, I want to tell you all that what did I recommend, I will tell you just one point, we said that the essential commodity act should be reformed. It should first be made non-bailable, and secondly, a special court should be formulated for it, there should be fast track justice, people who are involved in hoarding and profiteering should be sent behind the bars! They did not implement it! Secondly I suggested that re-bundling of Food Corporation of India should be done. Along with it I recommended that FCI should be divided in three parts, first should procure, second should store and third should look after distribution. We recommended a scientific method but the Delhi government did not do it!

Friends, today the entire nation is crying because of onion! Once the leaders of Congress had a conference with onion, they called onion and started requesting that what is this going on? So onion said that you people being in government have peeled the entire nation, so we onions have decided that now we will take off your peels!

Friends, look at the foresightedness of Atal Ji’s government, he kept onion under the essential commodities, because of which its price never used to fluctuate. UPA-1 took onions out from the essential commodity category within a few days and the result is that today the poor is crying because of onion!

Friends, every country should have its own dreams! If we look from 1857 before independence, then every citizen of the nation was working with the objective of freeing India, every generation was working for it. After Independence there was a need of moving ahead with a dream of making India great, there was need to convert Swaraj, the independence into Suraaj, the good governance, but the rulers in Delhi did not focus on it after independence. They started saying that power is poison! You should not come in it, it is for us, you do not taste this poison, one family is sufficient for it, let us taste this poison alone, they kept saying this to us! They conspired to keep the people away from power calling it poison time and again, they did not let people get near power and one family kept the power to itself calling it poison!

Friends, today I want to say one thing. After about 8-9 years, our country will observe 75th anniversary of independence. In our country 75th year is celebrated as ‘Amrit Mahotsav’, the Diamond Jubilee. This country should resolve today that after 8-9 years when we will celebrate the diamond jubilee of our independence, there should be sparkle all around! It means good governance, it means welfare of the poor, it means welfare of the village and farmer, we should move ahead for this! Friends, farmer of the country can move ahead, we can progress, but the farmer needs to be connected with technology, if we emphasize on this, then the farmer of the country can prosper. Friends, a country of 125 crore, if it moves ahead with a dream of every Indian and we move ahead with 125 crore dreams in total, if every city, every village has a dream, you can imagine that if we all move ahead with these crores of dreams for 8 years then our country can reach new heights!

Friends, today when I have come among you then I want to say that we have to move towards good governance bringing an end to bad governance, we have to move on the path of clarity from the air of chaos, we have to move towards clean governance leaving this environment of corruption behind, we have to move towards buoyancy leaving aside stagnancy, we have to aspire for love and life forgetting the venom! If we move ahead with this resolution in the coming days then I am sure that our country will rise with new strength and power to lead the world in 21st century!

All of you together raise both your hands,

and call out in such a loud voice that it echoes till Delhi…

Bharat Mata ki Jai..!

Bharat Mata ki Jai..!

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৭৮ তম স্বাধীনতা দিবস উপলক্ষ্যে নয়াদিল্লির লালকেল্লার প্রাকার থেকে প্রধানমন্ত্রীর ভাষণ ১৫ই আগস্ট , ২০২৪

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৭৮ তম স্বাধীনতা দিবস উপলক্ষ্যে নয়াদিল্লির লালকেল্লার প্রাকার থেকে প্রধানমন্ত্রীর ভাষণ ১৫ই আগস্ট , ২০২৪
India’s Biz Activity Surges To 3-month High In Nov: Report

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India’s Biz Activity Surges To 3-month High In Nov: Report
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Consistent efforts are being made to strengthen the NCC in our country: PM Modi
Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue is an effort to connect one lakh new youth to politics: PM
Heartening to see the youth help senior citizens become part of the digital revolution: PM Modi
Innovative efforts from Chennai, Hyderabad & Bihar to enhance children’s education: PM Modi
Indian diaspora has made their mark in different nations: PM Modi
A museum is being developed in Lothal, dedicated to showcasing India’s maritime heritage: PM Modi
#EkPedMaaKeNaam campaign has crossed the milestone of 100 crore trees planted in just 5 months: PM
Unique efforts are being made to revive the sparrows: PM Modi

My dear countrymen, Namaskar. 'Mann Ki Baat' means touching upon the collective efforts of the country; referring to the achievements of the country; discussing the strength of the people. 'Mann Ki Baat' means touching upon the dreams of the youth, the aspirations of the citizens of the country. I wait for 'Mann Ki Baat' throughout the month, so that I can communicate with you directly. There are innumerable messages! My earnest endeavour is to read as many messages as possible; to brainstorm on your suggestions.

Friends, today is a very special day - it is NCC Day. As soon as the name of NCC comes up, we remember our school-college days. I myself have been an NCC Cadet, so I can say with full confidence that the experience gained from it is invaluable for me. 'NCC' instills a spirit of discipline, leadership and service in the youth. You must have seen around you that whenever there is a disaster; be it a flood, an earthquake or an accident, NCC cadets unfailingly make themselves available there to help. Today, efforts are being undertaken continuously to strengthen NCC in the country. In 2014, about 14 lakh youth were associated with NCC. Now in 2024, more than 20 lakh youth are associated with NCC.

Compared to earlier times, provision for NCC has been made in five thousand new schools and colleges… and the biggest aspect is that earlier the number of girl cadets in NCC was just around 25% (percent). Now the number of girl cadets in NCC has risen to almost 40% (percent). The campaign to connect more and more youth residing along the border with NCC is also going on continuously. I would urge the youth to join NCC in maximum numbers. You will notice that no matter what career you choose, NCC will help you a lot in personality development. Friends, the role of the youth in building a developed India is very significant. When young minds come together and deliberate upon the country's future journey, positively, concrete paths emerge. You know that on the 12th of January, on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the country celebrates 'Youth Day'. Next year is Swami Vivekananda's 162nd birth anniversary. This time it will be celebrated in a very special way. On this occasion, a Maha Kumbh of young minds is going to be held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on 11-12 January, and the name of this initiative is 'Vikasit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue'. Crores of youth from all over India will participate in it. 2 thousand such youth selected from villages, blocks, districts, states will gather at Bharat Mandapam for the 'Vikasit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue'. You might remember that from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I have urged such youths to join politics, none of whose family members or even the entire family have had a political background.

To connect 1 lakh such youths, new youths, to politics, many special campaigns will be run in the country. 'Vikasit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue' is also one such effort. Experts from the country and abroad will grace this. Many national and international personalities would also be there. I will also be present in it for as much time as possible. The youth will get an opportunity to present their ideas directly before us. How can the country take these ideas forward? How can a solid roadmap be made? A blueprint will be prepared for this. So you too get ready; this is a great opportunity for those who are going to build the future of India, who are the future generation of the country. Come, let us build the country together, make the country developed.

My dear countrymen, in Mann ki Baat, we often talk about such youth. There are many youths who are working selflessly for the society and are engaged in finding solutions to numerous minor problems of the people. If we look around us, we see so many people who need some kind of help or information. I am happy to know that some youths have formed groups and addressed such issues as well. For example, Virendra, who lives in Lucknow, helps the elderly in the matter of Digital Life Certificate. As you know as per rules, all pensioners have to submit Life Certificate once a year. Till 2014, the process was such that the elderly had to go to the banks and submit it themselves. You can imagine how much inconvenience it used to cause to our elderly. Now this system has changed.

Now, by enabling the Digital Life Certificate, things have become very simple; the elderly do not have to go to the bank. Youths like Virendra have a major role in ensuring that the elderly do not face any problem on account of technology. They keep making the elderly of their neighbourhood aware about it. Not just that, they are also making the elderly tech savvy. Today, with such efforts, the number of people receiving Digital Life certificates has crossed the 80 lakh mark. Among these, more than 2 lakh are such elderly people whose age has crossed even 80.

Friends, in many cities, the youth are also coming forward to make the elderly a part of the digital revolution. Mahesh from Bhopal has taught many elderly people of his locality to make payments through mobile. These elderly people had smart phones, but there was no one to tell them their correct usage. The youth have also come forward to save the elderly from the risk of Digital Arrest. Rajiv from Ahmedabad warns people about the risk of Digital Arrest. I had discussed Digital Arrest in the last episode of 'Mann Ki Baat'. The elderly are the most common victims of such crimes. In such a situation, it is our responsibility to make them aware and help them stay safe from cyber fraud. We have to explain to people again and again that there is no provision of digital arrest in the government; this is a blatant lie, a conspiracy to trap people. I am happy that our young friends are participating in this work with full sensitivity and are motivating others as well.

My dear countrymen, these days many experiments are being conducted for the education of children. The effort is to enhance the creativity of our children and their love for books. It is said that 'books' are humans’ best friend and what better place than the library to strengthen this friendship. I want to share one such example from Chennai with you. Here one such library has been set up for children, which has become a hub of creativity and learning. It is known as Prakrith Arivagam. The idea of this library is the brainchild of Shriram Gopalan ji, who is associated with the world of technology. During his work abroad, he remained connected with the world of latest technology. But, he also kept thinking about developing the habit of reading and learning in children. After returning to India, he established Prakrith Arivagam. It has more than three thousand books, which children eagerly wait to read. Apart from books, different types of activities being organized in this library also attract children. Be it Story Telling sessions, Art Workshops, Memory Training Classes, Robotics Lessons or Public Speaking, there is something or the other, to the liking of everyone.

Friends, The Food for Thought Foundation has also established many wonderful libraries in Hyderabad. It’s their endeavor as well, to ensure that children get books to read with solid information on as many topics as possible. The Prayog library of Gopalganj in Bihar has started being talked about in many cities in the neighbourhood.
Apart from youths of around 12 villages getting the facility to read books from this library, this library is also providing other important facilities to the people. Some libraries are such that they are very useful for students in preparing for competitive examinations. It is indeed very heartening to note that the library is being used in the best possible way to strengthen the society. You too should develop friendship with books and see how it brings a change in your life.

My dear countrymen, I have returned from Guyana, a country in South America, the night before yesterday. Thousands of kilometres away from India, a ‘Mini India’ dwells in Guyana too. Around 180 years ago, people from India were taken to Guyana to work in the fields and for other tasks. Today, people of Indian origin in Guyana are leading the country in every field… be it politics, business, education or culture. The President of Guyana, Dr. Irfan Ali, is also of Indian origin and is proud of his Indian heritage. When I was in Guyana, a thought struck my mind which I am sharing with you in ‘Mann Ki Baat’. Just like Guyana, there are lakhs of Indians in dozens of countries across the world. Their ancestors have their own stories of decades; even those over 200-300 years ago. Can you be on the lookout for such stories of how Indian immigrants made their mark in different countries! How they took part in their freedom struggle! How they kept their Indian heritage alive! I want you to find out such true stories, and share them with me. You can also share these stories on the NaMo App or on MyGov with #IndianDiasporaStories.

Friends, you will also find an extraordinary project going on in Oman very interesting. Numerous Indian families have been living in Oman for many centuries. Most of them who have settled there are from Kutch in Gujarat. These people had created important trade links. Even today they have Omani citizenship, but Indianness is ingrained in their personae. With the support of the Indian Embassy in Oman and the National Archives of India, a team has started the work of preserving the history of these families. Thousands of documents have been collected under this campaign so far. These include diaries, account books, ledgers, letters and telegrams. Some of these documents even date back to the year 1838. These documents are full of sentiments. When they reached Oman years ago, what kind of life they lived, what kind of joys and sorrows they faced, and, how their relations with the people of Oman progressed. All of this is a part of these documents. The ‘Oral History Project’ is also an important basis of this mission. In this mission, senior people from there have shared their experiences. People have expressed in detail about their lifestyle there.

Friends, a similar ‘Oral History Project’ is being carried out in India as well. Under this project, history enthusiasts are collating the experiences of the victims during the period of partition of the country. Now, there are very few people left in the country who have witnessed the horrors of Partition. In such a situation, this effort has become even more significant.

Friends, the country, the place that preserves it’s history, its future is also secure. With this very thought in mind, an effort has been made in which a directory has been created to preserve the history of villages. A campaign is also going on in the country to preserve evidences related to India's ancient maritime capability. Under this series, a very big museum is also being built in Lothal. Apart from that, if you are aware of any manuscript, any historical document, any handwritten copy, you can preserve it with the help of National Archives of India.

Friends, I have come to know about another such effort being undertaken in Slovakia which is related to conserving and promoting our culture. Here, for the first time, our Upanishads have been translated into the Slovak language. These efforts also underscore the global influence of Indian culture. It is a matter of pride for all of us that there are crores of people across the world who cherish India in their hearts.

My dear countrymen, I now want to share with you one such achievement of the country which will make you happy and proud, and if you have not done it, you will probably regret it. A few months ago, we started the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign. People from all over the country participated in this campaign with great enthusiasm. I am very happy to tell you that this campaign has crossed the important milestone of planting 100 crore trees. A 100 crore trees, that too, in just 5 months.

This has been possible only due to the tireless efforts of our countrymen. You will be proud to know one more fact related to this. The 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign is now spreading to other countries of the world as well. When I was in Guyana, I witnessed this campaign there as well. There, Guyana's President Dr. Irfan Ali, his mother in law, and other family members joined me in the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign.

Friends, this campaign is going on continuously in different parts of the country. A record of tree planting was made in Indore, Madhya Pradesh under the campaign 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' - more than 12 lakh trees were planted here in 24 hours. On account of this campaign, the barren area of Revati Hills of Indore will now turn into a green zone. A unique record was made through this campaign in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan - here a team of women planted 25 thousand trees in one hour. Mothers planted trees in the name of their mothers and inspired others too. Here, more than 5 thousand people planted trees at one location.

This too is a record in itself. Under the campaign 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam', many social organizations are planting trees according to local needs. Their effort is that wherever trees are planted, a complete eco system should develop in an environment friendly manner. Therefore, these organizations are planting medicinal plants at some places, and at other places, they are planting trees to facilitate nesting for birds. In Bihar, the women of 'Jeevika Self Help Group' are running a campaign to plant 75 lakh trees. The focus of these women is on fruit trees, so that income could also be generated in the future.

Friends, by joining this campaign, any person can plant a tree in the name of his mother. If the mother is with you, you can plant the tree along with her, otherwise you can become a part of this campaign by carrying her photograph with you. You can also post a selfie with the tree on mygov.in. We can never repay the debt of what our mother does for all of us, but by planting a tree in her name, we can keep her presence alive forever.

My dear countrymen, all of you must have seen sparrows chirping on roof tops or trees during your childhood. Sparrows are known as Kuruvi in Tamil and Malayalam, Pichhuka in Telugu and Gubbi in Kannada. Stories about sparrows are told in every language and culture. Sparrows play a very important role in maintaining bio-diversity around us, but today sparrows are hardly visible in cities. Due to increasing urbanization, sparrows have gone away from us. There are many children of today's generation who have seen sparrows only in pictures or videos. Some unique efforts are being made to bring back this lovely bird in the lives of such children. Chennai's Kudugal Trust has involved school children in its campaign to increase the sparrow population. The people of the organisation go to schools and tell the children how important sparrows are in everyday life. This organisation trains children to make sparrow nests. For this, the people of the organisation taught the children to make a small wooden house. In that, arrangements for food and shelter were made for the sparrows. These are homes that can be placed on the outer wall of any building or on a tree.

Children participated in this campaign with enthusiasm and started making nests for sparrows in large numbers. In the last 4 years, the organization has prepared ten thousand such nests for sparrows. With this initiative of the Kudugal Trust, the sparrow population has started rising in the surrounding areas. If you too make such efforts in your surroundings, sparrows will certainly again become a part of our lives. Friends, an organization in Mysuru, Karnataka has started a campaign called 'Early Bird' for children. This organization runs a special kind of library to tell children about birds. Not only this, it has prepared a 'Nature Education Kit' to create a sense of responsibility towards nature in children. This kit contains story books, games, activity sheets and jig-saw puzzles for children. This organization takes children from cities to villages and introduces them to birds. On account of the efforts of this organization, children have started recognizing many species of birds. The listeners of 'Mann Ki Baat' can also develop a different perspective in children to see and understand their surroundings through such efforts.

My dear countrymen, you must have noticed that as soon as someone mentions a 'government office', a picture of a pile of files emerges in your mind. You must have seen something similar in films too. So many jokes are made on these piles of files in government offices; so many stories have been written. These files used to gather dust after lying in offices for years and years, and would start accumulating dirt.

A special Swachhata Abhiyan was launched to remove such decades-old files and scrap. You will be happy to know that this campaign has brought amazing results in government departments. Cleanliness has freed up a lot of space in offices. This has also brought in a sense of ownership among the people working in the offices. They have also become serious about keeping their work place clean.

Friends, you must have often heard elders say that where there is cleanliness, Goddess Lakshmi resides there. The concept of 'waste to wealth' is very old in our country. In many parts of the country, the 'youth' are transforming items considered useless, that is waste, to wealth. They are innovating in different ways. They are earning money from that; generating avenues of employment. These youth are also promoting a sustainable lifestyle through their efforts. The effort of two daughters of Mumbai is really very inspiring. These two daughters named Akshara and Prakriti are creating fashion items through fabric scraps. You also know that the scraps that come out during cutting and stitching of clothes are considered useless and thrown away. Akshara and Prakriti's team transforms the same fabric scraps into fashion products. Caps and bags made from cuttings are literally flying off the shelves.

Friends, a good initiative is on in Kanpur, UP as well, pertaining to cleanliness. Here some people go for daily morning walks picking up plastic and other garbage spread on the banks of the Ganga. This group has been named the 'Kanpur Ploggers Group'.

This campaign was started by a few friends collectively. Gradually, it became a big campaign of public participation. Many people of the city have joined this campaign. Its members have now started collecting garbage from shops and houses as well. Tree guards are made from this garbage in the Recycle Plant, i.e., people of this group also protect the plants with tree guards made from garbage.

Friends, Iitisha from Assam too is an example of how tiny efforts can lead to big success. Iitisha has studied in Delhi and Pune. Iitisha has left the glitz and glamour of the corporate world and is engaged in cleaning the Sangti Valley of Arunachal. A lot of plastic waste had started accumulating there because of tourists. The river there, which was once pristine, had become polluted because of the plastic waste. Iitisha is working with the local people to clean it. People of her group spread awareness among the tourists there and put up bamboo dustbins all over the valley to collect plastic waste.

Friends, such efforts lend momentum to India's Swachhata Abhiyan. This is a perpetual campaign. This must certainly be happening around you as well. Do keep writing to me about such efforts.

Friends, that is all for this episode of Mann Ki Baat. I eagerly await your feedback, letters and suggestions throughout the month. Your messages every month inspire me to do even better. We will meet again next month in another episode of Mann Ki Baat with new achievements of the country and countrymen. Until then, my best wishes to all the countrymen.

Thank you very much.