The Information & Broadcasting Ministry is organising a day-long national conclave on ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on April 26, ahead of the 100th edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly address to the nation.
The conclave will be inaugurated by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar in the presence of Guest of Honour and Union I&B Minister Anurag Thakur. The 100th edition of the programme, which was launched on October 3, 2014, is to be broadcast on April 30.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the valedictory session. Among those who would be present are Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary. A commemorative postage stamp and coin on 100 episodes of the programme will be unveiled.
About 100 esteemed citizens, who have been mentioned by the Prime Minster in various episodes for their contributions, will also attend the event. They are from various fields, including traditional art, culture and crafts, environment protection, those who made their contributions during the COVID-19 outbreak, supported the disadvantaged, and those who have provided innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by society.
The event will mark the release of a coffee book on the programme and ‘Collective Spirit, Concrete Action’ by former Prasar Bharati chief executive officer S. S. Vempati by the Vice-President. The inaugural session will be followed up by four panel discussions.
The first session themed ‘Nari Shakti’ will be moderated by renowned anchor and host, Richa Anirudh, and with panellists, former Puducherry Lieutenant-Governor Kiran Bedi, athlete Deepa Malik, The Better India founder Dhimant Parekh, R.J. Nitin, actor Raveena Tandon, boxer Nikhat Zareen and mountaineer Poorna Malavath, the world’s youngest girl to climb Mount Everest in 2014.
In the second session titled ‘Virasat Ka Uthan’, the panellists will include three-time Grammy Award-winning music composer and environmentalist Ricky Kej, environmental conservationists Jagat Kinkhabwala and Rochamliana, TV and radio host Siddharth Kannan and journalist Palki Sharma, with storyteller Neelesh Misra as the moderator.
The third session ‘Jan Samvad Se Atmanirbharta’ will have entrepreneur Shradha Sharma as the moderator. The issue will be discussed by entrepreneur Sanjeev Bhikchandani, R.J. Raunac, Padma Shri awardee T. V. Mohandas Pai, entrepreneur and policy maker Ravi Kumar Narra and Mohammed Abbas Bhat, head of the Dal Lake lotus stem producer company.
The last round of discussions will be on the theme ‘Ahwan Se Jan Andolan’. It will be moderated by R.J. Sharad and the speakers will include actor Aamir Khan, endocrinologist and diabetologist Shashank R. Joshi, school principal Deepmala Pandey, writer and photographer Karishma Mehta and Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor Najma Akhtar.
The Ministry, in a statement said, the Prime Minister had so far mentioned over 700 individuals, including 37 from abroad, and around 300 organisations, including 10 from overseas, in the programme for their contributions.
