Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday exhorted the nation to fight “malnutrition”, stressing that social awareness was a crucial for this fight. He also applauded the collective spirit in celebrating the Tricolour as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ marking 75 years of India’s Independence.
In his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio broadcast, Mr. Modi said the “amrit dhara” (flow of nectar) of the ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ was flowing in all corners of the country in this month. “On the special occasion of Amrit Mahotsav and Independence Day, we have seen the collective might of the country,” he said.
This very collective might should also be used to campaign against malnutrition in the coming month (September), he said. Mr. Modi said there are many creative and diverse efforts being undertaken against malnutrition. ”Better use of technology and public participation have also become an important part of ‘Poshan Abhiyan’. The Jal Jeevan mission is going to have a big impact in making India malnutrition free,” he added.
September, apart from witnessing the celebration of a host of festivals across the country, would also be marked as “Poshan Maah” (nutrition month), the PM said. Malnutrition, he noted, could be removed only with social awareness, asking for each person to contribute in the campaign. Mr. Modi mentioned the ongoing ‘Project Sampoorna’ programme in Assam, under which the mother of a healthy child meets the mother of a malnourished child every week at an anganwadi centre and discusses information related to nutrition. He also spoke of efforts from Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, where songs and games are key tools in ending malnutrition.
With the UN accepting India’s proposal to observe 2023 as International Year of Millets, Mr. Modi lauded the nutritional benefits of millets. The PM said it had been his endeavour to serve dishes made from Indian millets to foreign guests visiting India.
“Our experience has been that these dignitaries have very much relished them and [they] also try to collect a lot of information about our coarse grains, about millets. Coarse grains have been a part of our agriculture, culture and civilisation since ancient times,” he noted.
Mr. Modi also spoke about increasing digital connectivity in remote parts of the country. He cited the example of Jorsing village in Arunachal Pradesh, which has been receiving 4G Internet services from Independence Day.
“There has been a new sunrise in the form of 4G in the remote areas of Arunachal and the northeast. Internet connectivity has brought a new dawn. Facilities once available only in big cities have been brought to every village through Digital India. For this reason, new digital entrepreneurs are rising in the country,” the PM said.
Mr. Modi cited examples from different parts of the country, boosting businesses via online facilities.
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