Blitz Bureau
PRIME minister Narendra Modi gave a call for unity and brotherhood in his final Mann ki Baat episode of the year, and urged people to “annihilate the feeling of division and hatred in the society”. He hailed the upcoming Kumbh Mela as a unique scene of unity in diversity and as a Maha Kumbh of unity. Informing the audience of the preparations of the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj from January 13, the Prime Minister hailed the spiritual festival as a manifestation of India’s diversity and underlined that there is no discrimination against anyone and all are treated equally.
Unity in diversity
“The specialty of the Maha Kumbh is not only in its vastness. The specialty of the Kumbh is also in its diversity. Crores of people congregate for this event. Lakhs of saints, thousands of traditions, hundreds of sects, many Akharas, everyone becomes a part of this event. There is no discrimination anywhere, no one is big, no one is small. Such a scene of unity in diversity will not be seen anywhere else in the world. Therefore, our Kumbh is also the Maha Kumbh of unity. This time’s Maha Kumbh will also bolster the mantra of Maha Kumbh of unity.”
With the Government making plans to celebrate the 75 years of the completion of the Constitution in a grand manner, PM Modi announced that a special website has been created to bring the common people closer to the Constitution.
Constitution75.com
“On January 26, 2025, our Constitution is completing 75 years. It is a matter of great honour for all of us. The Constitution, handed over to us by our Constitution makers, has stood the test of time in every sense of the term. The Constitution is our guiding light, our guide. It is on account of the Constitution of India that I am here today, being able to talk to you. This year, on Constitution Day, the 26th of November, many activities have commenced that will go on for a year. A special website named constitution75. com has also been created to connect the citizens of the country with the legacy of the Constitution,” the PM said.
“In this”, the PM added, “you can read the Preamble of the Constitution and upload your video. You can read the Constitution in myriad languages; you can also ask questions pertaining to the Constitution. I urge the listeners of Mann Ki Baat, school going children, college going youth, to visit this website and become a part of it.”
The Prime Minister also spoke about the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s upcoming WAVES Summit in New Delhi that the latter wants to turn into India’s flagship entertainment conference, akin to what Cannes Film Festival is to France.
He also talked about the first Bastar Olympics that concluded earlier this month and saw participation from 1,65,000 players from seven districts. “You will also be happy to know that this is taking place in the region which was once a witness to Maoist violence,” he said.
“Bastar Olympics is not just a sports event. It is a platform where development and sports are merging together, where our youth are honing their talent and building a new India,” he said. The PM urged people to encourage such sports events in their area.
PM Modi also spoke about India’s achievements in the fight against malaria and cancer. He mentioned a report from the World Health Organisation that said, “In India, there has been an 80 pc reduction in the number of malaria cases and deaths due to it between 2015 and 2023”.
He cited the tea gardens of Jorhat in Assam and Kurukshetra district of Haryana as two instances where effective awareness campaigns about malaria reduced its incidence. For cancer, he cited a report from Lancet that said that the “chances of starting cancer treatment on time in India have increased a lot”. The PM said because of Ayushman Bharat Yojana, “Ninety per cent of cancer patients have been able to start their treatment on time”. “There is only one mantra to fight cancer – Awareness, Action and Assurance,” he said.
