PM Modi underlines the need for eternal vigilance to preserve democracy
25 June, New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday remembered the Emergency imposed on this day in 1975, saying such a black night cannot be forgotten. He underlined the need for eternal vigilance to preserve democracy.
Sharing his Mann Ki Baat on All India Radio with the countrymen and the people abroad, Modi recalled that democracy-lovers had fought a big battle against the Emergency imposed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and said the pro-democracy heritage needs to be strengthened.
He said, it is essential to remember the incidents which have caused harm to democracy and move ahead towards the positives of democracy. The Prime Minister said, democracy is not only a system but also a sanskar a part of ethos.
He reminded that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. He said the students of today’s journalism and those working for democracy have been remembering that black incident as part of their continuous efforts to create awareness about democracy. The Prime Minister said at that time, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also imprisoned and recited the couplets written by the BJP stalwart.
The Prime Minister also called upon the people to use Government -E- Marketplace, E-GEM portal to sell their products or services to the government. He said, the E-GEM portal is an excellent example of minimum government and maximum governance. He said, its objective is minimum price and maximum ease, efficiency and transparency.
The Prime Minister referred to the experience of a lady from Madurai in Tamil Nadu, who had got money from the MUDRA Scheme for starting her business through this portal. She used the portal to sell her products. He said, had she not written to him, he would not have realized that because of E-GEM, a housewife running a small business can have the items on her inventory purchased directly by the Prime Minister’s Office.
On International Day of Yoga which was celebrated just a few days back, Mr Modi said, Yoga has permeated the entire world and its threads have bound everyone together and have become the means to unite the world.
He said, in a small country like Singapore , programmes were organised at 70 places with a week-long campaign and the United Nations released ten stamps on this day. Referring to the benefits of practicing Yoga, Mr Modi said, now the health conscious society is taking steps from fitness to wellness realising that Yoga is the best way for true wellness.
Referring to landmark achievements in space science, the Prime Minister said whereas Indians have their feet firmly on the ground with Yoga, they have also their dreams to soar beyond horizons to far away skies.He said, India’s flag is flying high not only on earth but also in space and just two days ago, ISRO launched 30 nano Satellites with Cartosat-2 series. He said, the Satellites will give a lot of help in the field of agriculture and dealing with natural disasters.
The Prime Minister also mentioned Mars Mission which has completed one thousand days in orbit. He said, the mission which had a life of six months, has not only crossed its life- span but even after thousand days Mangalyaan Mission is at work sending images, providing information and collating scientific data.
On increasing inclination of youth to the field of sports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, if children are interested in sports they should be encouraged and supported by the school, college and family. He said, promotion of sports creates spirit of sportsmanship and it has a great significance in overall development of personality. Modi said, every Indian sportsman should nurture dreams for the next Olympics. He also congratulated Badminton player Kidambi Shrikant for winning Indonesia Open.
On cleanliness drive, Mr Modi said, it has become a mass movement and is no longer confined to being a government programme. Referring to Mubarakpur village of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh which has set an example of constructing toilets out of their own resources, the Prime Minister felicitated the residents of the village for transforming the pious occasion of Ramadan into opportunity for social welfare.
He said, the village returned the 17 lakh rupees financial assistance received from the government saying this sum be used for other facilities in the village. He also thanked the people and administration of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand and Haryana for achieving the objective of Open Defecation Free status.
Modi also referred to another example of Vizianagaram District of Andhra Pradesh where District administration constructed 10 thousand household toilets with public participation in one hundred hours making 71 villages Open Defecation Free.
The Prime Minister urged people to welcome their guests by books or handkerchiefs instead of bouquets. He said, use of khadi handkerchiefs can be a support to innumerable underprivileged engaged in Khadi and Village Industries. The Prime Minister also extended his heartiest greetings to all countrymen on the occasion of the Rath Yatra, Car festival of Lord Jagannath and Eid-ul- Fitr saying India’s diversity is its strength.