PM Modi urges people to encourage Indian athletes participating in Paris Olympics
In his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, Modi said the government had launched Manas, a special centre for drug abuse with a toll-free helpline (1933) for support and rehabilitation
Indian athletes are seen during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 in Paris.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 28 urged people to encourage Indian athletes participating in the Paris Olympics, stating that the grand sporting event gave players a chance to hoist the tricolour on the world stage.
In his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address, Mr. Modi also congratulated the Indian students who bagged four gold and one silver medal in the International Mathematics Olympiad, in which youth from over 100 countries participated. “The names of these students, who have brought glory to the country, are Aditya Venkat Ganesh from Pune, Siddharth Chopra from Pune itself, Arjun Gupta from Delhi, Kanav Talwar from Greater Noida, Rushil Mathur from Mumbai, and Anando Bhaduri from Guwahati,” he said. The Prime Minister interacted with the students who shared their experiences and insights, highlighting the importance of curiosity, perseverance, and creativity in mastering mathematics.
In order to address the serious issue of drug abuse, Mr. Modi said the government has launched Manas, a special centre with a toll-free helpline (1933) for support and rehabilitation. The initiative aims to assist those affected and their families, maintaining confidentiality and providing crucial aid.
On the issue of tourism, Mr. Modi said it was a matter of pride for all Indians that Charaideo Maidam of Assam was being included as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It will be the 43rd site of India in the UNESCO World Heritage list, but the first from the northeast. Charaideo means a shining city on the hills. It was the first capital of the Ahom dynasty. “The people of the Ahom dynasty traditionally kept the mortal remains of their ancestors and their valuables in the Maidam,” Mr. Modi said.
“On March 9 this year, I had the privilege of unveiling the tallest statue of the great Ahom warrior Lasit Borphukan, a symbol of indomitable courage and bravery,” the Prime Minister said, adding that Charaideo Madam becoming a World Heritage Site would now mean that more tourists would visit the place.
Mr. Modi also mentioned Project PARI, saying it was becoming a great medium to bring emerging artists on one platform to popularise public art. “You must have seen that beautiful paintings are made on the roadsides, on walls, in underpasses. These paintings and these artefacts are made by the same artists who are associated with PARI…,” he said.
Appreciating the efforts of over 250 women of Haryana’s Rohtak associated with the handloom industry, the Prime Minister said they were running small shops and doing odd jobs to earn their living.
“…they decided to join the UNNATI self help group and by joining this group, they received training in block printing and dyeing. These women who spread the magic of colours on clothes are earning lakhs of rupees today…be it Sambalpuri saree of Odisha, Maheshwari saree of MP (Madhya Pradesh), Paithani of Maharashtra or the hand block prints of Vidarbha, Bhutiko shawls and woollen clothes of Himachal or Kani shawls of Jammu & Kashmir, the work of handloom artisans is spread across every corner of the country…on August 7, we will celebrate the National Handloom Day…now many private companies are also promoting handloom products and sustainable fashion through AI,” the PM said.
He said the turnover of the Khadi Village Industry had crossed ₹1.5 lakh crore for the first time, and khadi sales had increased by 400%.
The Prime Minister also talked about the ‘Tiger Day’ observed on July 29 every year the world over. Referring to the ‘Kulhadi Band Panchayat’ campaign in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore, he said the local communities had taken an oath that they would not cut forest trees. “Due to this one decision, the forests here are becoming green once again, and a better environment is being created for tigers…Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra is one of the main habitats of tigers. The local communities here, especially Gond and Mana tribes, have taken rapid strides towards eco-tourism,” Mr. Modi said.
Praising the efforts of the Chenchu tribe in Andhra Pradesh’s Nallamalai hills, he said that as tiger trackers, they had gathered minute details on the movement of wild animals in the forest. “Similarly, the ‘Baagh Mitr Karyakram’ being undertaken in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, is also creating a buzz…70% of the tigers in the world are in our country,” he said, also expressing happiness that a large number of people were connecting with the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ tree plantation programme mentioned by him in the previous episode of Mann Ki Baat.
Ahead of Independence Day on August 15, the Prime Minister exhorted people to once again associate with the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyan’ and display the national flag with pride.
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