NEW DELHI: More than three days since Chandrayaan-3 reached the moon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the mission as a living example of -led development and hailed the collective efforts of varied sectors in bringing the efforts to fruition.
Addressing the 104th episode of Mann ki Baat, his monthly radio broadcast, the prime minister also called India’s ongoing G20 presidency the “people’s presidency” and said several citizen records had been set during the period, even as “India made G-20 a more inclusive forum.” The PM especially mentioned the African Union joining the G-20 on India’s invitation and the voice of the people of Africa reaching an important global platform.
Commencing his address with salutations for ISRO scientists for the historic Chandrayaan-3 landing on the lunar south pole, the prime minister said, “India’s Mission Chandrayaan is a live example of woman power. Many women scientists and engineers have been directly involved in this entire mission. They have handled many important responsibilities like project director, project manager of different systems. The daughters of India are now challenging even the space which is considered infinite. When the daughters of a country become so ambitious, who can stop that country from becoming developed!”
Seeking people’s support to make the G20 Leaders’ Summit a grand success, the PM said G20 had become a medium whereby the world is waking up to the immense potential of India.
Noting that the government had taken G20 events to 60 cities rather than confining these to the national capital, the PM added, “Wherever the G-20 delegates went, people warmly welcomed them. These delegates were very impressed, seeing the diversity of our country and our vibrant democracy. They also realized that there are so many possibilities in India.”
In another important segment during his broadcast, the PM engaged four sportspersons who recently won laurels for the country in the World University Games held in China, where India won a historic 26 medals, more than the combined tally won since the Games started in 1959.
In candid conversations with the winners, the PM spoke to archer Pragati from UP, athlete Amlan from Assam, race walker Priyanka from UP and archer Abhidanya from Maharashtra.
The sportspersons spoke of their personal travails and challenges which they overcame to bring home medals.
Pragati mentioned how in 2020 she suffered a debilitating brain hemorrhage but got back to life and archery on the strength of her conviction.
The PM, while speaking of the upcoming festive season, asked citizens to remember the slogan ‘Vocal for Local’ and also shared that the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign had surpassed the 2022 record when 5 crore posted selfies with the Tricolour. This number has reached 10 crore in 2023, the PM said, urging people to visit tourist spots of their own country and help boost the domestic economy.
To drive home the point the PM narrated the story of a tour guide from Bengaluru, Dhanpal, who devoted his life to the exploration of local history and culture and ended up taking a diploma in epigraphy.
In another revelation, the PM spoke about Brian D. Kharpran of Meghalaya who devoted his life to the exploration of local caves and brought India on the world cave map by discovering 170 small and large caves in Meghalaya.
The PM also discussed environmental-friendly initiatives taken by Banas Dairy of Gujarat and a farmer Amanpreet Singh of Rajasthan’s Kota.
