Text of PM’s address at National Hand-loom Day

Published By : Admin | August 7, 2015 | 16:38 IST
We need to make our handloom tradition the centrepiece of fashion for India and the world: PM
We should enlarge the scope of e-commerce for sale of handloom products: PM Modi
Government is committed to extend robust social security cover to weaver families: PM
The handloom sector has inherent strengths that we need to market: PM
Handloom can be our weapon against poverty, says PM Modi
Innovative  design backed by good marketing is essential for promotion of handlooms: PM

वणक्कम्, 

Weaver brothers and sisters Awardees Ladies and Gentlemen 

तमील नाट्टुक्कु वन्ददिल् ।। मीक्क मगील्ची ।

नेशवालअ अन्बरगलै ।। काण्बदिल् ।। मेलूम् मगील्ची


सबसे पहले तमिलनाडु की मुख्यमंत्री आदरणीय डॉक्टर जे. जयललिता जी का, Tamil Nadu Government का और तमिलनाडु के नागरिकों का हृदय से अभिनंदन करता हूं कि आपने एक महत्वपूर्ण कार्यक्रम को एक host के रूप में तमिलनाडु में मनाया। आज राष्ट्रीय Handloom Day का प्रारंभ हो रहा है और तमिलनाडु से हो रहा है सामान्य रूप से सरकार को सब चीज दिल्ली में करने की आदत है, लेकिन मेरी कोशिश है कि सरकार दिल्ली से बाहर निकले और आज पूरी दिल्ली सरकार तमिलनाडु में मौजूद है। 

I congratulate you and extend my best wishes on the occasion of the first National Handloom Day. 

The Swadeshi movement was launched on 7th August, 1905. It is remembered as one of the major events of our freedom struggle. It was on this day that Indians started to boycott imported textiles. Therefore this day has a special significance for handlooms. Hence we have chosen this day to be celebrated as National Handlooms day.

आजादी का जंग जब चल रहा था, उस समय गुलामी से मुक्ति के लिए handloom एक हथियार था। आज आजाद भारत में गरीबी से मुक्ति के लिए handloom एक हथियार बन सकता है।

India is home to several world famous handloom products. To name a few we have Kanchivaram (कांजीवरम) of Tamil Nadu, Baluchari and Jamdani (बालुचारी and जामदानी) of West Bengal, Chanderi and Maheswari (चंदेरी and महेश्वरी) of Madhya Pradesh, Muga (मूगा) of Assam, Patola (पटोला) of Gujarat, Kani and Shehtoosh (कानी and शहतूश) of Jammu and Kashmir and Pochampally (पोचमपल्ली) of Andhra Pradesh. The handloom sector has inherent strengths that we need to market.

Handloom mainly uses natural fiber like cotton, silk, wool, jute etc. Therefore it is Eco-friendly. We can make it even more Eco-friendly by using vegetable dyes and other organic products.

Today people are very conscious of the environment and holistic healthcare. We need to exploit this in marketing handloom products both domestically and for exports. On 2nd October last year, I had asked people to use one item of Khadi to brighten the lives of artisans. I am informed that since then sale of Khadi has gone up by 60% as compared to the same period last year. मैंने पिछली बार, दिवाली से पहले मन की बात में लोगों से प्रार्थना की थी कि आप घर में पच्चीसों प्रकार की fabric रखते हैं। कोई रिश्तेदार आए तो बताते हैं कि मेरे पास ये है, ये है, ये है लेकिन एक खादी नहीं होता है। कम से कम घर में एकाध-एकाध चीज खादी की रखा करिए। इतनी से मेरी request को देशवासियों ने मान लिया और 60 प्रतिशत बिक्री बढ़ गई, गरीब के घर में दीया जला।

We now also need to give a similar call for handlooms. Can we not enhance use of handlooms in our daily lives? We have many options such as clothes curtains bed sheets table covers door mats and rugs just to name a few. This will not only support handlooms but will also support our weavers.

I am told that handlooms form 15% of total cloth consumption. If we raise this to just 20%, from 15% to 20%, it will give a huge boost to handlooms. Handloom turnover will increase by 33%.

People, especially women, wear handloom clothes on social occasions like marriages and major festivals. We need to popularize this among our youth. This will give the much-needed boost to the handloom sector.

मुझे कभी-कभी लगता है कि हम कभी Five Star Hotel में खाएं, Seven Star Hotel में खाना खाएं, लेकिन जब घर में मां के हाथ का खाना मिलता है तो उसका आनंद कुछ और होता है, एक अलग संतोष होता है, क्यों? क्योंकि मां जब खिलाती है, तब सिर्फ खाना नहीं खिलाती है, उसमें भरपूर प्यार भी मिला हुआ होता है और इसके कारण हमें संतोष भी उतना ही मिलता है। मैं कभी-कभी जब खादी या हैंडलूम पर सोचता हूं तो मुझे लगता है कि दुनिया की चाहे कितनी ही variety क्यों न पहन लें, लेकिन जब हैंडलूम या खादी की चीज लगती है, तो ऐसा ही लगता है, जैसे मां ने परोसा है, प्यार से परोसा है, प्यार से बनाया है। ये जो फर्क है, ये जो फर्क हम महसूस करेंगे तब हमें पता चलेगा कि ये कितनी प्यार से बनाई हुई चीज, मेरे शरीर पर मैंने धारण की है।

किसी बुनकर परिवार में हम जाएं, हम देखेंगे कि पूरे घर में 80% जगह, 80% place वो लूम के लिए देते हैं और 20% place में पूरा परिवार गुजारा करता है और जब एक साड़ी लूम की बनती हुई होती है, पांच महीने-छह महीने, एक-एक ताना-बाना का काम होता है, पूरा परिवार उस साड़ी को ऐसे बनाता है जैसे मां अपनी बेटी को बड़ा बना रही हो, जैसे अपनी बेटी का लालन-पालन करती हो, उस रूप में परिवार के अंदर पूरा परिवार, उस साड़ी को बुनता है और जब वो साड़ी घर से विदाई होकर के किसी दुल्हन के शरीर पर जाने वाली होती है, उस परिवार को भी उतनी ही आनंद होता है और वैसे ही उस साड़ी की विदाई करते हैं, जैसे मां-बाप अपनी लाडली की विदाई करते हैं। इतना प्यार उस बुनकर को उन कपड़ों को बुनते-बुनते हो जाता है।

..और बुनकर परिवार जो साड़ी बनाता है उसका इतना लगाव होता है कि 15-20 साल के बाद कोई मिल जाए और पता चले कि उसने वो साड़ी पहनी है, जो उन्होंने बनाई थी, उसे देखकर के उतना उनका मन भर आता है जैसे अपने परिवार का स्वजन मिला हो, इतना लगाव बुनकर को एक ताने और बाने के साथ होता है।



We need to take several initiatives to make handlooms fashionable. This can be done by bringing new designs and colour schemes, constantly evolving and innovating, ensuring quality. Fashion and design education in India also needs to be re-oriented. We need to make our handloom tradition the centerpiece of fashion for India and the world. 

We are committed to give a rightful place to our famous traditional handloom products. India Handloom Brand has been launched with the sole objective of winning the trust and confidence of customers. 

मुझे अभी किसी ने एक किताब दी थी। उस किताब में, दुनिया में हैंडलूम के भिन्न-भिन्न प्रकार, handicraft के भिन्न-भिन्न प्रकार के, किस शताब्दी में क्या-क्या काम होता है। दुनिया के भिन्न-भिन्न देशों के.. उन्होंने बड़ी ही एक tree बनाया है। कोई 1500 साल पुरानी चीजें थीं उसमें, कोई 1400 साल थी, कोई 1000 साल थी, कोई 200 साल थी। मैं हैरान था छोटे-छोटे देशों का भी उसमें नाम था, लेकिन पूरी उस tree में handicraft औऱ handloom की दुनिया में हिन्दुस्तान का नामो-निशान नहीं था। I was shocked, एक उनकी अज्ञानता के ऊपर और दूसरा हम लोगों ने कभी हमारी बातों को branding नहीं किया। दुनिया को पता तक नहीं कि एक जमाना था कि हमारे देश के बुनकरों और कारीगरों से बनाई हुई चीजें, दुनिया के पांचों खंडों में चाहे अफ्रीका हो, यूरोप हो, चाहे अरब राष्ट्र हो, चाहे China हो सब दूर हमारी चीजें बिकती थीं और उसको लेने के लिए दुनिया लालायित रहती थी। लेकिन आज जो लोग किताबें लिखते हैं उनको पता तक नहीं है कि हमारा कभी इतना भव्य इतिहास रहा है क्योंकि हमने हमारी चीजों का जो global branding करना चाहिए, global marketing करना चाहिए उसमें कहीं न कहीं हम कम पड़े हैं। 

कभी-कभी हम लोग सोचते हैं कि इस काम को कैसे बढाया जाए। छोटे-छोटे प्रयास भी भी हमें बहुत बड़ा परिवर्तन देते हैं। जैसे The film industry has a major role in popularizing fashion in India. And of course I know that Chennai is a big center of the film industry. Can our film makers decide that at least one out of five films will only use handlooms, handicrafts and khadi? 

हमारे फिल्म इंडस्ट्री वाले अपनी फिल्म को popular करने के लिए कुछ दृश्यों के विषयों में बताते हैं कि ये वहां का दृश्य है, ये ढिकना का shooting है तो automatic उनको देखने वाले मिल जाते हैं। अगर वे तय करें कि भई मैं पांच फिल्मों से एक फिल्म ऐसी बनाऊंगा,जिसमें हर कोई हैंडलूम का ही उपयोग होगा, सबके कपड़े भी हैंडलूम के होंगे, handicraft का उपयोग होगा, सारी चीजें ऐसी होगी। मैं उनको विश्वास दिलाता हूं, देश के करोड़ों बुनकर, करोड़ों कारीगर उनकी फिल्म देखने के लिए जरूर जाएंगे, अपने आप उनको मार्केट मिल जाएगा। 

आज के मैनेजमेंट गुरु जब industrial development की बात करते हैं तो cluster concept की बात करते हैं तो cluster को promote करने की बात करते हैं। हमारे पूर्वजों ने सदियों पहले अगर हम सिर्फ handloom और handicraft को देखें तो हमें पता चलेगा कि कैसे cluster से हमारे यहां काम होता था। अब देखिए उत्तर प्रदेश जाइए तो बनारस handloom का एक बहुत बड़ा cluster बना हुआ है। अगर आप यहां कांचीपुरम जाइए, आपको handloom का बहुत बड़ा cluster बना हुआ आपको दिखाई देगा, आप देवगिरी जाइए, महाराष्ट्र में आपको बहुत बड़ा हैंडलूम का cluster बना हुआ दिखाई देगा यानि उस समय भी चाहे supply chain की बात हो, चाहे marketing की बात हो, चाहे cluster development की बात हो, चाहे raw material supply की बात हो। आज के जितने भी मैनेजमेंट गुरु जो बातें बताते हैं वो सदियों से handloom-handicraft की दुनिया में हमारे पूर्वजों ने develop किया हुआ था।

Recently, we have launched the “Digital India Movement”. which will soon connect all Indians through the Internet. Young consumers are now buying extensively through e-commerce platforms. Therefore we should enlarge the scope of e-commerce for sale of handloom products.

As we develop markets for handlooms we also need to extend support to our weavers on the production side. I am happy to learn that the National Handloom Development Corporation supplied 27% more yarn during 2014-15 as compared to the previous year.

Assistance to individual weavers for building work sheds and purchasing loom and accessories will now be directly transferred to their bank accounts. We have taken a major step for developing handloom clusters at the block level. Earlier, assistance of only about 60 lakhs rupees was being given for one handloom cluster. This has now been increased up to 2 crore rupees.

पहले बिचौलिये और दलालों की दुनिया चलती थी। अब सीधा बैंक अकाउंट में weaver के पास पैसा पहुंचेगा। दूसरा, पहले जो shed के लिए आपको सात लाख रुपया दिया जाता था, अब दो करोड़ रुपया दिया जाएगा।

The main objective of all our efforts is to increase wages of our weavers. Weaving is a very laborious job. In some cases, a weaver takes months to weave a single saree. We need to put in place systems that will ensure that they are paid their rightful wages. We also need to improve technology to enhance productivity and reduce labour in the pre-loom activity.

This will help enhance income levels. Apart from increasing incomes our Government is also committed to extend robust social security cover to weaver families.

We have launched a national drive for financial inclusion through Jan Dhan Yojana. Recently we have also launched three new social security schemes intended to benefit unorganized sectors.

The Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana will provide life insurance. The Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Beema Yojana will give you accident insurance cover. The Atal Pension Yojana will give you a pension from the age of 60. You can protect your future by paying a small amount every month.

I call upon all of you to join these schemes and also ask your friends and relatives to do so.

To address financing problems of Micro, Small & Medium Industries the Government has announced the creation of a MUDRA Bank. This bank has a corpus of Rs. 20,000 crores and a credit guarantee corpus of Rs. 3,000 crores. MUDRA Bank would ensure that at least 60% of the credit flows to loans of less than Rs. 50,000.

I am sure this initiative will benefit handloom weavers in a big way.

I congratulate all those who are being awarded today. Their expertise should be utilized for skill development programmes, as well as for production of master pieces for display.

Innovative design backed by good marketing is essential for promotion of handlooms. In this context I would like the request to the Textile Ministry to consider holding competitions and giving awards for design creation and marketing of handloom products.

National Handloom Day celebrations should not end with just a ceremony today. We have to make this a continuous movement. A movement to popularize Handlooms and to improve the lives of our weavers.

एक प्रकार से बुनकर परिवार से जुड़े लोग उनका पूरा हिसाब-किताब ताने-बाने के साथ जुड़ा हुआ है। सारा खेल ताना और बाना से बना हुआ है।

अब समय की मांग है कि हम एक नये सिरे से इस चीज का आगे बढ़ाए। हमारे पास जो परंपरागत कला है उस ताने को आधुनिक बाने के साथ कैसे जोड़े?

Handloom में ज्‍यादातर महिलाएं हैं। Handloom गांवो में है। समय की मांग है कि गांव का ताना global बाने के साथ कैसे जुड़े और गांव का ताना और global बाने का मिलन कैसे हम?

समय की मांग है कि गरीबी का ताना और अमीरी का बाना दोनों को जोड़ करके हम आर्थिक समृद्धि की दिशा में handloom को आगे बढ़ाए। उत्‍तर-दक्षिण का ताना और पूरब-पश्चिम का बाना भारत के कोने-कोने में पड़ी इस कला को एक दूसरे से परिचित करा करके एक महाशक्ति के रूप में handloom को कैसे उभारे?

गांव का un-skill से ले करके दुनिया के हर high-skill के साथ एक तरफ un-skill का ताना, तो दूसरी तरफ high skill का बाना। इस ताने और बाने के मिलन से हम handloom के उद्योग को नई ऊंचाईयों पर कैसे ले जाए।

Zero defect का ताना, Zero effect का बाना और हम हमारा ऐसा product करे जो दुनिया को भा जाए और जो environment के लिए सहायक हो, उपकारक हो, environment friendly हो।

मैं फिर एक बार आज सम्‍मान प्राप्‍त करने वाले सभी हमारे कारीगर भाईयों-बहनों का सम्‍मान करता हूं, अभिनंदन करता हूं और तमिलनाडु की सरकार का, नागरिकों का हृदय से अभिनंदन करता हूं। बहुत बहुत धन्‍यवाद।

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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.