Use only local products, says PM

Modi unveils 108-foot-tall Hanuman statue at Morbi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveils the 108-foot-tall statue of Lord Hanuman in Morbi, Gujarat, on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, via videoconference on Saturday. | Photo Credit: PTI

India cannot afford to remain stagnant and has to become atmanirbhar (self-reliant), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday while urging people to use and promote local products only.

Mr. Modi was speaking after unveiling a 108-foot-tall statue of Lord Hanuman at Morbi in Gujarat via videoconference on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.

The Prime Minister used the occasion to bat for Atmanirbhar Bharat and said the country had to move in the direction of self-reliance to keep up with the rapidly changing global order.

“India cannot afford to remain stagnant today. We cannot continue to remain where we stand. The global situation is such that the entire world is thinking on how to become atmanirbhar (self-reliant),” Mr. Modi said.

He urged everyone to use and promote local products that would help the economy and the country in becoming self-reliant.

“I would request the saints of the country to teach the people to buy local products only. Vocal for local is the in-thing. In our homes, we should only use things made by our people. Imagine the high number of people who will get employment due to this,” he said.

“In the next 25 years, if we just use local products, there won’t be unemployment for our people,” the Prime Minister stated.

Four statues

As per details shared by the Prime Minister’s Office, the statue in Morbi is the second of four being built in the four cardinal directions across the country as part of the 'Hanumanji Char Dham' project.

The first statue of the series was set up in the north in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla in 2010. The second has been set up in the west, at the ashram of Bapu Keshvanand at Morbi in Gujarat. Work on the third statue project is progressing in the south, at Rameswaram.