Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to plant trees in the name of mother under the campaign – ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’. He resumed his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio programme on Sunday after pausing it briefly in February owing to Lok Sabha polls.
“If I ask you which is the most precious relationship in the world, you will definitely say – Mother. In all our lives, the status of mother is the highest. A mother nurtures her child despite facing every pain. Every mother showers every affection on her child. This love of the mother who gave birth is like a debt on all of us which no one can repay,” said PM Modi.
“We cannot give anything to Mother Earth, but can we do something else? With this thought in mind, a special campaign has been initiated on World Environment Day this year. The campaign is called ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ (A Tree in Mother’s Name). I have also planted a tree in the name of my mother,” he added.
Modi also remembered Veer Sidhu-Kanhu’s rebellion against British rule’ “Veer Sidhu-Kanhu united thousands of Santhal companions and fought the British with all their might, and do you know when this happened?
This happened in 1855, that is, two years before India’s first war of independence in 1857. Then our tribal brothers and sisters in Santhal Pargana of Jharkhand took up arms against the foreign rulers,” he added.
Highlighting locally made products, Modi talked about the ‘Karthumbi Umbrella’ made at Attapadi in Palakkad, Araku coffee from Andhra Pradesh and snow peas produced in Jammu and Kashmir.
Modi also talked about ‘Sanskrit Weekend’ being hosted at Cubbon Park in Bengaluru and broadcast of Hindi programmes on Kuwait radio.
Modi said the Paris Olympics begin next month and remembered Team India’s performance during the Tokyo Olympics. “The performance of our players in Tokyo has won the heart of every Indian. Right after the Tokyo Olympics, our athletes were whole-heartedly engaged in the preparations for the Paris Olympics,” he said. Modi added countrymen should cheer for Team India with the hashtag #Cheer4Bharat.