This festive season, people should use locally made non-plastic bags only.The trend of jute, cotton, banana fibre and many such traditional bags is on the rise once again, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, aired on September 25. He also announced that Chandigarh airport will be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh as a tribute to the great freedom fighter. We reproduce below the excerpts from PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat, which was the 93rd episode of the show:
RETURN OF CHEETAHS
The topic that grabbed our attention in the last few days is the cheetah. There have been a lot of messages to talk about cheetahs…A common question posed by people about this is “Modi ji, when will we get an opportunity to see the cheetahs?” Friends, a task force have been formed. This task force will monitor the cheetahs and see how much they have been able to adapt to the environment here. On this basis a decision will be taken after a few months and then you will be able to see the cheetahs. But till then I am assigning some work to all of you. For this, a competition will be organised on the MyGov platform, in which I urge people to share certain things. What should be the name of the campaign that we are running on cheetahs? Can we even think of naming all these cheetahs…. by what name should each of them be called?…
SHAHEED BHAGAT SINGH
My dear countrymen, three days later, that is on the 28th of September, is a special day of Amrit Mahotsav. On this day we will celebrate the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh ji, the brave son of Mother India. Just before the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh, an important decision has been taken as a tribute to him. It has been decided that the Chandigarh airport will now be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh. It had been in the waiting for a long time. I congratulate the people of Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana and of the entire country for this decision…Just a few days ago, the country has made a similar effort by setting up the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on Kartavya Path and now the name of Chandigarh Airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh is another step in that direction…
SIGN LANGUAGE
My dear countrymen, it is said – no obstacle can stand in the way of a person who has been forged by the struggles of life. In our everyday life, we also see some friends who are coping with some physical challenge or the other. There are many people who are either unable to hear, or are unable to express themselves through speech. The biggest support for such friends is sign language. But a big problem in India for years was that there were no clear gestures, no standards for sign language.
To overcome these difficulties, the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center was established in the year 2015. I am happy that this institution has thus far prepared a dictionary comprising ten thousand words and expressions. Two days ago i.e. on the 23rd of September, on the Sign Language Day, many school courses have also been launched in sign language…Friends, I am also discussing about this in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ so that the awareness about Indian Sign Language increases. With this, we will be able to help our speciallyabled friends more and more…
SWACHH SAGAR
Climate change remains a major threat to marine ecosystems. On the other hand, the litter spread on our beaches is disturbing. It becomes our responsibility to make serious and continuous efforts for these challenges. Here I would like to talk about an effort of coastal cleaning in the coastal areas of the country ‘Swachh Sagar – Surakshit Sagar’.
This campaign, which started on the 5th of July culminated on the 17th of September, the day of Vishwakarma Jayanti. This day was also Coastal Clean-Up Day. This campaign which started in the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav lasted for 75 days. Public participation in this was a sight to behold. During this effort, many cleanliness related programs were seen for the entire two and a half months. A long human chain was made in Goa. During the Ganpati immersion in Kakinada, people were told about the harm caused by plastic. About 5,000 young friends from the NSS collected more than 30 tonnes of plastic. Within three days in Odisha, more than 20 thousand school students took a pledge that they would inspire their family and people along with them as well, for the Swachh Sagar – Surakshit Sagar initiative. I would like to congratulate all the people who took part in this campaign…
VOCAL FOR LOCAL
Friends, during the past years, a new resolution of the country has also been associated with our festivals. You all know, this is the resolution of ‘Vocal for Local’. We now include our local artisans, craftsmen and traders in the joy of festivals. On the occasion of Bapu’s birth anniversary on the 2nd of October, we have to take a pledge to intensify this campaign.
Khadi, handloom, handicrafts…along with all these products, you must buy local goods. After all, the true joy of this festival is also when everyone becomes a part of it. Therefore, people associated with the work of local products also have to be supported by us. A good way is to include these type of products in whatever gifts we give during the festival.
At this time, this campaign is also special because during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, we are also onwards with the goal of a self-reliant India; which, in the real sense, will be a true tribute to the freedom fighters. That’s why I request you to break all the records this time to buy these products of Khadi, handloom or handicrafts.
We have seen that polythene bags are also being used a lot for packing and packaging during festivals. The harmful litter of polythene on the festivals observing cleanliness is also against the spirit of our festivals. Therefore, we should use only locally made non-plastic bags. The trend of jute, cotton, banana fibre, many such traditional bags is on the rise once again. It is our duty to promote them on the occasion of festivals, and take care of our health and environment along with cleanliness…
