From drug-free youth to women entrepreneurs, Modi highlights key initiatives in Mann Ki Baat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to unite against drug abuse during his Mann Ki Baat address, while highlighting women’s empowerment through PM SVANidhi, patriotic initiatives, Mission ShaktiSAT, avocado farming and inspiring grassroots stories from across India

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to citizens to unite against drug abuse and build a stronger future for the youth, noting that addiction engulfs not just an individual but impacts the entire society.

In his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’, he noted that the ‘Drug-Free Youth for a Developed India’ campaign is rapidly gaining momentum across the country and stressed that its objective is clear: ‘Drug-free youth, drug-free India’. The prime minister said he was happy that this campaign has not remained merely a formality as many people, especially the youth, are becoming a part of it in large numbers.

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“After all, this is our collective resolve for the health, happiness, and bright future of India’s youth. Let us all play our part in this noble mission to keep India’s youth away from drugs and free from addiction,” he said.

Modi said drug addiction does not just engulf a single individual as the entire family and society have to bear the consequences. “I would like to commend those who raise awareness against drugs and step forward to help individuals struggling with addiction,” he said.

The Drug-Free India through the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ (NMBA) is a flagship initiative of the government. The campaign seeks to prevent substance abuse through awareness generation, community participation, treatment, rehabilitation, aftercare and social reintegration. The prime minister also highlighted the PM SVANidhi Yojana welfare scheme for street vendors, noting that lakhs of women are gaining strength from it.

Lakhs of women across the streets of cities and towns are engaged in selling vegetables or fruits, running tea stalls, while some are selling flowers, earthen lamps, and ‘pooja’ material, he noted.

“Often, a mere lack of capital prevents their businesses from growing further. But now, lakhs of such mothers and sisters are gaining new strength through the ‘PM SVANidhi Yojana’,” he said.

Modi said this aspect of ‘women empowerment’ is not discussed as much as it should be since women account for approximately 46 percent of the beneficiaries of the ‘PM SVANidhi Yojana’. “This means that around 35 lakh women across the country are expanding their businesses by connecting with this scheme,” he asserted.

Referring to two women — one from Ghaziabad and the other from Bengaluru —who have benefitted from the ‘PM SVANidhi Yojana’, the prime minister said when a woman’s business grows, the future of her entire family advances along with it. “Children receive better education, household needs are met, and the woman’s self-confidence is strengthened. This is, indeed, a living example of ‘women’s empowerment’,” he said.

Modi said the month of August brings with it myriad hues of patriotism all around as during this time, the spirit of love for the nation intensifies in everyone’s heart.

He said the ‘National Handloom Day’, the anniversary of the ‘Quit India Movement’, the ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ make this month special and the ‘Independence Day’ and ‘National Space Day’ fill every countryman with pride.

The prime minister said the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign further strengthens this sentiment and this year has become even more special as it marks the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’. He said this celebration of the tricolour was not limited to India alone; this year, through the ‘Suryapath Tiranga’ initiative, the national flag embarked on a unique journey across the globe.

“The tricolour was hoisted in Suva, Fiji, at the first light of dawn. Subsequently, it was unfurled at Indian Missions and Posts across Asia, Africa, Europe, and eventually San Francisco in America. You can imagine how magnificent those scenes must have been; as the Sun traversed across the world, the Indian tricolour was hoisted in its wake,” he said.

Referring to the ‘Mission ShaktiSAT’, Modi said today the dreams of the country’s daughters are soaring from the earth to outer space. “And you will be proud to know that India is bringing together thousands of daughters who are nurturing such dreams, from across the globe. This initiative is named ‘Mission ShaktiSAT,” he said.

The prime minister said through it, 12,000 girl students from 108 countries are getting the opportunity to learn satellite technology and to advance in the field of innovation. “The goal of this entire initiative is truly special: preparations are underway to send a satellite – developed entirely through the participation of female students – into lunar orbit,” he said.

In his radio address, Modi also referred to the rising demand for avocados. Hardly anyone knew about this fruit in the past and both its value and demand were low. However, today it is frequently seen on dining tables, he said.

“It has become a preferred choice in the health and premium markets. This is also very helpful for our farmer brothers and sisters,” he said. The prime minister said many farmers, who were earlier cultivating other crops, are now engaged in avocado farming, which is allowing them to earn additional income.

During the radio address, Modi also shared the inspirational stories of Mumbai resident Krishna Seshadri, who has started a website called www.bharatrajya.com which shares information about little-know erstwhile kingdoms of India.

He also spoke about Nagaland’s Phek district resident Vesalu Puro, who has benefitted from flower cultivation, and Odisha’s Maithili Bhue, who is now involved in forest conservation, among others. The prime minister is currently on a state visit to Uzbekistan and the radio broadcast is usually recorded a few days in advance and played on the last Sunday of every month.