Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India’s fight against Corona and it’s vaccination programme has turned out to be exemplary for  the world. He said India is undertaking the biggest Covid Vaccine Programme as well as vaccinating citizens faster than anywhere in the world. Addressing the nation in his Mann Ki Baat programme on All India Radio, Mr Modi expressed pride that in just 15 days, India has vaccinated over 30 lakh corona warriors. The US took 18 days to get it done while Britain took 36 days.

He said that the Made in India vaccine is a symbol of India’s self-reliance and  self-pride. The  Prime Minister said he gets messages praising India from Presidents and Prime Ministers from different countries of the world. Mr Modi recalled the recent tweet of Brazil President thanking India.

Mr. Modi stated that India is able to serve the world today, since it is capable and self-reliant in the field of medicines and vaccines. He said the same thought underpins the Atmanirbhar Bharat Campaign. He added that the world will benefit more with India becoming more and more capable.

The Prime Minister said the beginning of this year marks the completion of almost one year of India’s battle against Corona. He said it was a joyful time as many festivals like Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal and Bihu were celebrated in different parts of the country. On 23rd January, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was observed as Parakram Diwas and the nation also watched the grand Republic Day Parade on the 26th of January. The Budget Session has also begun following the Address to the joint session by the President. The Padma Awards were also announced. He added that the tradition of conferring the Padma honour on unsung heroes that was started a few years ago has been maintained this time as well. He urged everyone to know more about these people and their contribution and be inspired.

Prime Minister Modi hailed the Indian cricket team for winning the series in Australia after initial setbacks. He said the hard work and teamwork of players is inspirational. Mr Modi said that amidst all this, the country was saddened by the insult to the Tricolor on the 26th of January in Delhi. He said people have to infuse times to come with new hope and novelty. He asked everyone to work hard to attain resolutions and take the country forward at a faster pace.

The Prime Minister recounted how Priyanka Pandey, a student of Hindi literature from Siwan in Bihar, drew inspiration from his suggestion to visit 15 domestic tourist places. On 1st of January, she started for a destination 15 kilometers away from her home – it was the ancestral residence of the country’s first President Dr Rajendra Prasad. Priyanka came across many books written by Dr Rajendra Prasad and many historical photographs as well.

Prime Minister Modi said India is going to commence the celebration of 75 years of Independence – Amrit Mahotsav. He termed it an excellent time to explore places associated with heroes of freedom struggle.

Mr Modi touched upon another comment made on Namo App. Jai Ram Viplava, a resident of Munger has written about the Tarapur Martyr day. On 15th of February 1932, the Britishers had mercilessly killed several of a group of brave young patriots for  raising ‘Vande Mataram’ slogan and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. Mr Modi bowed to those martyrs and remembered their courage with reverence. He thanked Jai Ram Viplava for bringing to the notice of the country an incident about which not much is discussed. He stressed on the importance to preserve the saga of freedom struggles so that  their memories can be kept alive for generations to come. He appealed to all countrymen, especially the young people, to write about freedom fighters, and incidents associated with freedom. As India will celebrate 75 years of freedom, Mr Modi said these writings will be the best tribute to those heroes of freedom. He also said an initiative has been taken for Young Writers for the purpose of India Seventy-Five. He invited people to be a part of this initiative. Information about this can be accessed from the website of the Ministry of Education.

Mr Modi said he was happy to read about how a local vegetable market in Boinpalli of Hyderabad is creating Wealth from Waste. The vegetable market of Boinpalli decided that it will not throw away the leftover vegetables but generate electricity from this. Nearly 10-tonnes of waste is generated there every day, which is collected in a plant. In this plant 500-units of electricity is generated every day, and about 30 Kilos of bio fuel is also generated.

The Prime Minister said a similar amazing feat has been achieved by the Badaut village Panchayat of Panchkula in Haryana. This Panchayat faced the problem of water drainage. The village Panchayat started filtering the dirty water coming from the village after collecting it at a place, and this filtered water is now being used for irrigation by the farmers of the village.

Mr Modi also cited an example of how protection of environment can open avenues of income as seen in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. For centuries,  a type of paper called ‘Mon Shugu’ has been made in this hilly region of Arunachal Pradesh. The locals make this paper from the bark of a plant named Shugu Sheng, hence trees do not have to be cut to make this paper. Besides, no chemical is used in making this paper, thus, this paper is safe for the environment and for health too. A local social worker Gombu has made an effort to rejuvenate this art.

Mr Modi also spoke about an elderly Divyang, N.S Rajappan from Kottayam, Kerala. Due to paralysis, Rajappan is incapable of walking, but this has not affected his commitment to cleanliness. For the past several years he has been going by boat in Vembanad lake and taking out the plastic bottles thrown into the lake.

The Prime Minister also lauded the four women pilots from India who took command of a non-stop flight from San Francisco, America to Bangalore. Travelling more than ten thousand kilometres, this flight ferried more than two hundred and fifty passengers to India. He said this time in the 26th January parade, two women officers of the Indian Air Force created new history. Mr Modi said the participation of the women of the country is continuously on the rise, but often there is not much discussion of similar changes occurring in the villages of the country.

He mentioned an inspiring story from Madhya Pradesh. In Chichgaon, Jabalpur, some tribal women were working on daily wages in a rice mill. Work stopped in their rice mill during the pandemic. The women formed a ‘Self Help Group’ and raised capital from their savings to buy the same rice mill. Whatever amount of money was short, was sourced under the aegis of Ajivika mission in the form of a loan from the bank.

He expressed delight that a month long ‘Strawberry Festival’ began in Jhansi recently. Gurleen Chawla, a law student, has played a huge role in it. Gurleen carried out Strawberry cultivation successfully first at her home and then in her farm raising the hope that this was possible in Jhansi too. Jhansi’s Strawberry festival emphasizes the ‘Stay at Home’ concept. Through this festival, farmers and youth are being encouraged to do gardening and grow strawberries in the vacant spaces behind their home, or in the Terrace Garden.

The Prime Minister said experiments like the Strawberry Festival not only demonstrate the spirit of innovation, but also demonstrate the manner in which the agricultural sector   is adopting new technologies. He said the government is committed to modernizing agriculture and is also taking many steps in that direction. He said the efforts of the Government shall also continue in future.

Mr Modi also spoke about a video of Sarmuddin, a painter from Naya Pingla village in West Midnapore, West Bengal. In the video, the painter was expressing happiness that his painting based on Ramayana had sold for two lakh rupees. Mr Modi highlighted an initiative related to West Bengal. The regional office of the Ministry of Tourism started an ‘Incredible India Weekend Getaway’ in the villages of Bengal at the beginning of the month. The Handicraft artisans from West Midnapore, Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia, East Bardhaman, organized handicraft workshop for the visitors. The total sales of handicrafts during the Incredible India Weekend Getaway is very encouraging to the handicraft artisans.

He mentioned how Bhagyashree Sahu of Rourkela, Odisha started learning the art of Pattchitra and has mastered it. He also spoke about a novel initiative being carried out in Dumka, Jharkhand. A principal of a middle school got the village walls painted with the letters of the English and Hindi alphabets in order to help students learn. Mr Modi lauded such efforts.

Prime Minister Modi stated that there are more than 30 Yoga schools in Santiago, the capital of Chile. The International Day of Yoga is also celebrated with great fervor in Chile. He said the House of Deputies is full of ardent enthusiasm for the Yoga Day. Now they are attaching much more importance to Yoga in these times of Corona. Mr Modi informed that the Chilean Congress, which is their Parliament, has passed a proposal. There, the 4th of November has been declared as National Yoga Day. On 4th of November 1962, the first Yoga institution in Chile was established by José Rafael Estrada. By proclaiming this day as National Yoga Day, a tribute has been paid to Estrada. Mr Modi said every Indian takes pride in this special honour by the Chilean Parliament.

Prime Minister also touched upon the subject of ‘Road safety’ in Mann Ki Baat. From the 18th of January to the 17th of February, country is observing Road Safety month. He stressed that many efforts are being made for road safety at the individual and collective level along with the Government.

Mr Modi asked people to send innovative slogans or catch phrases related to road safety on MyGov which will be used during the Road Safety month.  He mentioned a post received on NaMo app from Aparna Das of Kolkata asking him to speak on the ‘FASTag programme’. She says that the experience of travel has changed with ‘FASTag’. Prime Minister Modi said that earlier, a vehicle used to take on an average 7 to 8 minutes to cross toll plazas. However, since the emergence of ‘FASTag’, this time has reduced to around one and a half minutes to 2 minutes on an average. Due to this reduced waiting time at the Toll plaza, fuel too is being saved. It is estimated that this will save approximately 21 thousand crore Rupees of the taxpayers. Mr Modi urged everyone to follow all the guidelines, and take all measures for road safety.