New Delhi: Calling on people to celebrate and respect the indomitable spirit of women, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that he will hand over his various social media accounts to women achievers from different walks of life to mark the International Women’s Day on March 8.
In his monthly “Mann Ki Baat” address, Modi said these successful women will talk about their work and experience on his social media accounts.
“Let us celebrate and respect the indomitable spirit of women,” he said, lauding the increasing participation of women in different sectors.
The prime minister had handed over his social media accounts to seven leading women from different fields on March 8, 2020 in a similar gesture.
With followers in tens of millions on X, YouTube and Instagram, among other platforms, Modi is one of the most-followed global leaders on social media.
The prime minister also renewed his appeal to people to take measures to deal with the growing problem of obesity, saying it is necessary for India to become a fit and healthy country.
Citing research, he said one out of eight people is suffering from obesity and their numbers have doubled in the last few years.
What is more worrisome is that it has grown four-fold among children, he added.
Modi asked people to cut down on their oil consumption by 10 per cent and said he will request 10 people to do so.
Each of them can, in turn, pose a similar challenge to 10 more people, he said.
The prime minister played audio messages from some noted personalities, including Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, to impress upon people to take measures to prevent obesity.
In the radio broadcast, Modi also appealed to people to try “one day as a scientist” by visiting research laboratories or planetariums to mark the National Science Day on February 28.
“Like space and science, there is another field in which India is rapidly carving out a robust identity — this field is AI, that is, artificial intelligence. Recently, I went to Paris to participate in a big AI conference. There, the world praised India’s progress in this sector. We are also getting to see examples of how people in our country are using AI today,” he said.
Modi asked students appearing in the board exams to be “happy and stress-free” and added that the new format of “Pariksha Pe Charcha” has drawn admiration from various quarters.
Making a reference to the ongoing Champions Trophy, he said these days, there is an atmosphere of cricket everywhere.
“All of us know very well what the thrill of a century in cricket is. But today, I am not going to talk to you about cricket, albeit about the wonderful century that India has made in space. Last month, the country witnessed the launch of the ISRO’s 100th rocket. This is not just a number, it also reflects our resolve to touch new heights in space science every day,” the prime minister said.
“Our space journey had commenced in a rather modest way. There were challenges at every step, but our scientists kept moving forward, conquering them. With time, the list of our successes in this space odyssey kept getting long. Be it the manufacture of launch vehicles, the successes of the Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, Aditya L-1 or the unprecedented mission of sending 104 satellites into space at one go with a single rocket — the ambit of the ISRO’s successes has been quite expansive,” he said.
Over the last 10 years alone, around 460 satellites have been launched, including many satellites of other countries as well, he added.
Another important fact in recent years is that the participation of women is constantly on the rise among India’s team of space scientists, Modi noted.
“I am also very happy to see that today, the space sector has become a favourite for our youngsters,” he said.
Noting that March 8 is observed as the “International Women’s Day”, Modi said this is a special occasion to salute India’s “Nari Shakti”.
Highlighting the contribution of Hansa Mehta, the prime minister said she had brought to the fore the contribution of women from all over the country, right from the making of the national flag to sacrificing their lives for its sake.
“She was of the belief that the saffron colour in our tricolour also reflects this sentiment. She had expressed confidence that our women power would make its valuable contribution in making India strong and prosperous. Today, her words are proving to be true. If you observe any field, you will find how extensive the contribution of women is,” Modi said.
This time on Women’s Day, the prime minister said he is going to embark upon an initiative for a day, which will be dedicated to India’s “Nari Shakti”.
“On this special occasion, I am going to hand over my social media accounts like those on X, Instagram to some inspiring women of the country. Women who have achieved success in myriad fields, who have innovated and created a unique identity for themselves in various fields,” he said.
“On March 8, they will share their work and experiences with the countrymen. The platform might be mine, but it will be about their experiences, their challenges and their achievements. If you want to avail of this opportunity, become a part of this experiment through a special forum created on the Namo app and share your messages with the whole world through my X and Instagram accounts,” he said.
Modi asked people if they were aware of the similarity between the Asiatic lion, hangul, pygmy hog and lion-tailed macaque.
“The answer is that all of these are not found anywhere else in the world. They are found only in our country. Indeed, we have a very vibrant ecosystem of flora and fauna. And these wild animals are deeply embedded in our history and culture,” he said.
“Many animals are also observed as the mounts of our gods and goddesses. Many tribes in central India worship Bagheshwar. There is a tradition of worshipping Waghoba in Maharashtra. Lord Ayyappa has a very deep connection with the tiger. Bonbibi, whose ‘vahan’ is the tiger, is worshipped in the Sundarbans,” Modi said.
“We have many cultural dances like Huli Vesha of Karnataka, Pooli of Tamil Nadu and Pulikali of Kerala, which are associated with nature and wildlife. I would also like to thank my tribal brothers and sisters, because they actively participate in work related to wildlife protection,” he said.
Modi said the population of tigers has grown continuously in Karnataka’s BRT Tiger Reserve, noting that a lot of credit for this goes to the Soliga tribe, the members of which worship the tiger.
Owing to them, there is almost no man-animal conflict in the area, he said.
“In Gujarat as well, people have contributed significantly in the protection and conservation of Asiatic lions in Gir. They have shown the world what coexistence with nature means,” the prime minister said, adding that on account of these efforts, the population of tigers, leopards, Asiatic lions, rhinoceroses and barasingha has grown rapidly in the last few years.
And it is also worth noting how beautiful the diversity of wildlife in India is, Modi said.
Asiatic lions are found in the western parts of the country, while the habitat of ?tigers is east, central and south India, and rhinoceroses are found in the northeast, he noted.
Every part of the country is not only sensitive towards nature, but also committed to wildlife protection, Modi said.
“I have been told about Anuradha Raoji, many generations of whom have been associated with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Anuradhaji had dedicated herself to animal welfare at an early age. For three decades, she has made the protection of deer and peacocks her mission. People there call her the ‘Deer Woman’. We will celebrate the World Wildlife Day early next month. I request you to encourage people associated with wildlife protection,” he said.
