11.00 a.m.:
Greetings to everyone on Rath Yatra. The poor relate with Lord Jagannath.
The holy month of Ramzan is celebrated with reverence. My best wishes on Eid.
Let us all be inspired by these festivals, spread happineas and take the country forward.
Bijnaur's Mubarakpur village has around 3.5 thousand families. Muslims are a majority in this village. This Ramzan they have decided to build toilets in this village. Official grant of nearly Rs. 17 lakh was granted to them. Brethren of the village returned this grand and said they will build it with their own money. They have freed Mubarakpur from open defecation.
11.05 a.m.:
Uttarakhand and Haryana are also open defecation free (ODF) now. I am happy cleanliness is no longer govt's responsibility. With people's participation, the strength increases manifold.
From March 10 to March 14, Vijayanagaram district of Andhra Pradesh built 10,000 toilets in 71 panchayats in 100 hours. This sets a shining example before others.
11.10 a.m.:
Emergency imposed on this day in 1975 will be remembered for the way in which people came together to safeguarded democracy.
June 25, 1975 is a dark day in democracy. The entire nation was turned into a prison. Not even judiciary was spared from the shadow of authoritarianism.
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. We need to remember the things which harm democraccy and move forward in positive direction. Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji was also imprisoned. The love for democracy is our priceless heritage. He had written a poem about democracy being ingrained in our roots.
11.12 a.m.:
On June 21, 2017, the whole world was immersed in Yoga in China, Peru, France, UAE, Afghanistan, Singapore, UN headquarters. UN released 10 stamps on this occasion.
In Ahmedabad, 55,000 people attended yoga event and created a record. Our soldiers perfomed yoga in sub-zero temperatures in Siachen. For the first time, I got a chance to perform yoga in rain. BSF, CRPF, ITBP personnel have made yoga as part of their duties.
11.16 a.m.:
When I was in Gujarat, we started a practice of skipping bouquets but instead, give books or a Khadi handkerchief. It became a practice and when I visited Kerala, I got reminded of this practice.
Gifting a book remains useful for a long time and a Khadi handkerchief will help many people.
When Queen Elizabeth invited me over dinner, she showed me a Khadi handkerchief that was gifted to her by Mahatma Gandhi on her wedding.
11.18 a.m.:
One of my readers came to know about Government e Marketplace (E-GEM). Anyone who is willing to supply any items of use like a bulb or chair or broom, he can mention the quality and price of products and sell them. The products are cheaper than usual since it has no middlemen involved.
This reader Arulmozhi from Madurai, she got an order of two thermos from PMO, and she has received a payment of Rs. 1600. This is empowerment. This is the strength of this nation.
11.23 a.m.:
Recently, ISRO launched 30 nano satellites. It will help in farming, dealing with natural calamities. Recently, a GSAT-19 satellite was also launched. It is the heaviest of all satellites put in space.
Mars mission has completed 1000 days. This mission has a life of 6 months. This hardwork of our scientists is still sending us scientific data and information, sending photographs, etc.
11.24 a.m.:
Our youth are taking deep interest in sports. India is proud of achievements of its sportspersons like Kidambi Srikanth. I congratulate him.
I got a chance to attend at event at PT Usha school of athletics. Sports brings in sportsman spirit. Sports play an important role in overall personality development. We should promote sports talents among students and should not restrict them to books. Encourage them for sports along with studies.
My best wishes to all of you, Namaskar.
