New Delhi: A day after his return from his successful visit to China where he and President Xi Jinping held informal talks on closer ties between the two countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the nation in the 43rd edition of Mann ki Baat - his monthly radio broadcast to fellow citizens.
Here are some of the highlights:
On Commonwealth Games 2018:
Those who participated in CWG 2018 have come from different parts of the country, from small towns. I congratulate all of them for overcoming challenges to reach this level.
On fitness:
Last month, I had urged people to participate in the Fit India Movement. I am glad with the overwhelming support for the movement. Many people have written to me about fitness, their experiences and what they do. Fit India is my dream and I want to urge everyone to exercise for a healthy lifestyle. Yoga is one such way to ensure good health. The benefits of Yoga are now known the world over. Let us think about ways to make the 4th Yoga Day memorable.
On Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan:
I want to invite students to join the Swacch Bharat Summer Internship. There will be national-level awards and two credit points by UGC for interns who excel.
On water conservation:
Saving water should be a priority for all. Future wars would be fought for water.
Many have done wonderful work in conserving water and have taken it upon themselves to save this gift. The months of April, May, June and July are ahead of us - we should strive to ensure there is no water wastage. The budget of MGNREGA is also used for water conservation. In 2017-18, around Rs 35,000 cr was spent on water conservation; around 150 lakh hectares of land got benefited with these steps.
On India's nuclear test in 1998:
The tests itself were important but the manner in which they were conducted was even more important. The tests showed the world India's strength. We will celebrate 20 years of the tests next month. We continue to be proud of all that we have achieved as a nation. We salute the efforts of our scientists and recall the leadership of Atal Ji.
