In the 103rd edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 30 announced that a campaign, titled ‘Meri Mati Mera Desh’, will be launched to honour the soldiers who gave the supreme sacrifice for the freedom of the country.
The campaign, he said, will be launched ahead of Independence Day, during which, an Amrit Kalash Yatra will also be taken, carrying the soil in 7,500 kalashs (holy pots) from villages and various corners of the country.
This yatra will also carry plants from various parts of the country and culminate in the national Capital Delhi, where an ‘Amrit Vatika’ will be built close to the National War Memorial from the soil and saplings from all over the country.
“This ‘Amrit Vatika’ will also become a grand symbol of ‘Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat,” PM Modi said, adding that special inscriptions will also be installed in lakhs of village panchayats of the country in the memory of these luminaries.
NDRF personnel
The Prime Minister had a special word of praise for National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) personnel for saving the lives of the people hit by floods and torrential rainfall and Cyclone Biparjoy this year. “In the midst of all these calamities, all of us countrymen have once again brought to the fore the power of collective effort,” he said.
PM Modi also highlighted various efforts and progress made in environment conservation. He commended the efforts of the people in demonstrating responsibility and awareness about the environment and health through art forms, plantation drives, and water conservation initiatives.
The Prime Minister spoke about the success of the ‘Amrit Sarovar’ mission, which was launched as a part of the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav last year on April 24, with the objective of developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district across the country.
Exemplary initiatives
As in the past, this edition of the PM’s Mann Ki Baat, also mentioned several unique initiatives by individuals and communities which had set examples for the others to follow.
In Madhya Pradesh, for instance, the tribals of Pakaria village in Shahdol have converted about 100 wells into water recharge systems with the help of the local administration and covered all the 800 such wells in the entire area, PM Modi informed his audience.
In Tamil Nadu, Suresh Raghavan’s, a native of Vadavalli village, has been preserving information about plants and animals through his paintings.
He documents the information related to them by making paintings of varied flora and fauna. “Till now, he has painted dozens of such birds, animals, and orchids, which are on the verge of extinction,” said the Prime Minister.
In a similar vein, the PM lauded the women of Uttarakhand for preserving the erstwhile cultural heritage ‘Bhojpatra’ on which Hindu scriptures and epics have been preserved.
“These women had presented me a unique artwork on Bhojpatra in October last year,” he said, adding, “today, these women of Dev Bhoomi are making very beautiful artefacts and souvenirs from the Bhojpatra.
