New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that India recently achieved the target of $400 billion exports which has illustrated country’s capability and potential.
In his monthly radio address ‘Mann ki Baat’, he said the export target also signified that the demand for items made in India has been increasing all over the world and the supply chain is getting stronger by the day.
“The nation takes great strides when resolutions are bigger than dreams. When there is a sincere effort day and night for the resolutions, those resolutions also attain fruition,” Modi said.
Noting that new products from all corners of the country are reaching foreign shores, the Prime Minister further said that now exports of leather products from Hailakandi in Assam or handloom products from Osmanabad, fruits and vegetables from Bijapur or black rice from Chandauli, were all increasing.
“Now, you will also find the world famous apricot of Ladakh in Dubai too and in Saudi Arabia, you will find bananas shipped from Tamil Nadu. Most importantly, the array of new products is being sent to newer countries such as the first shipment of millets grown in Himachal and Uttarakhand was exported to Denmark.”
He also informed that the Bainganapalli and Subarnarekha mangoes from Krishna and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh were being exported to South Korea, while the fresh jackfruits from Tripura and the king chilli from Nagaland have also reached London.
The Prime Minister said that it due to the hard work of farmers, artisans, weavers, engineers, mall entrepreneurs, the MSME sector; that exports from India were reaching new markets in every nook and corner of the world.
Talking about the success of our small entrepreneurs at the domestic level, he said that they were playing a major partnership role in Central procurement through Government e-Market place (GeM) and during the last one year through the portal, the government has purchased items worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore.
“Close to 1.25 lakh small entrepreneurs, small shopkeepers from every corner of the country have sold their goods directly to the government. Now even the smallest of shopkeepers can sell one’s goods to the government on the GeM Portal – this is the New India.”
He said that Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar fought persistently against discrimination and inequality.
In this context, he said that Mahatma Phule opened schools for girls and raised his voice against female infanticide. Phule also launched large campaigns to get rid of the water crisis.
The Prime Minister further made reference to Jyotirao Phule’s wife Savitribai Phule who played a significant role in the formation of many social institutions. “As a teacher and a social reformer, she also made the society aware and encouraged it. Together they founded the Satyashodhak Samajathey made efforts for the empowerment of the people and we can clearly see the influence of Mahatma Phule in the work of Babasaheb Ambedkar who used to say that the development of any society can be assessed by looking at the status of women in that society,” Prime Minister Modi said.
Taking inspiration from the life of Mahatma Phule, Savitribai Phule, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Modi exhorted all the parents and guardians to ensure education for their daughters while in order to increase the enrollment of girls in schools.
“The ‘Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav’ has also been started a few days ago with focus on bringing back to school those girls who missed their studies for some reason,” he added.
He also urged the listeners of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ to visit the places associated with Mahatma Phule, Savitribai Phule and Babasaheb Ambedkar. “You will get to learn a lot there.”
Referring to the upcoming festivals of Navratri, Gudi Padwa and Ramadan, the Prime Minister urged the people to celebrate these festivals by including everyone together and strengthening India’s diversity.
Modi called for scaling up water conservation efforts to save every drop along with recycling and reuse.
He said, “We all have to keep giving equal emphasis on recycling of water. The water used at home can be used in pots and can be used in gardening which can be done with a little effort.”
Modi further said that he has high hopes from the children for this task of saving water as they made cleanliness a movement and they can help save water by becoming ‘Water Warriors’.
Describing that water conservation in our country and protection of water sources have been part of society, the Prime Minister also said that he was happy that many people in the country have made water conservation a life mission. Modi cited the example of Chennai-based Arun, who has been running a campaign to clean the ponds and lakes in his area and has already done the job successfully on 150 ponds and lakes.
Modi also cited the case of Maharashtra-based Rohan Kale, who is running a campaign to preserve hundreds of stepwells in the state.
Talking about the ‘Jal Mandir Scheme’ of Gujarat, Modi also said that these stepwells, known as ‘Vav’, have played a big role in protection of these wells. “Several stepwells were revived all over Gujarat. This also helped a lot in raising the water level in these areas,” he said, adding, “You can also run similar campaigns at the local level by construction of check dams or rain water harvesting or making at least 75 Amrit Sarovars in every district of our country in the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
He cited the example of ‘Pots for water of life’ by Mupattam Sri Narayanan of Kerala.
Lauding Narayanan’s initiative, Modi said, “Mupattam Sri Narayanan ji is running a campaign to distribute earthen pots so that animals and birds do not go thirsty during summer. In summer, he used to get upset seeing the plight of animals and birds. Then he thought why not start distributing earthen pots himself so that others were left with only the task of filling water in those pots.”
“During this summer, this work of Narayanan will definitely inspire all of us and we will also make arrangements for water for our animal and bird friends this summer,” Modi exhorted.