Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
IT WAS every Indian’s “fundamental duty” to ensure participation of women in all fields of life, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his Mann Ki Baat radio programme broadcast on Sunday. The Prime Minister also focused on the youth in his address, asking them “to be motivated to serve society through science”.
He said the dream of a New India envisages women who are strong, empowered and equal partners in development. He said a woman’s power today underlined inner fortitude and self-confidence, which made her self-reliant. “Not only has she herself advanced but has carried forward the country and society to newer heights…Today the country is moving forward from the path of women development to women-led development,” Modi said.
He said it was “our fundamental duty” to ensure the participation of women in every field of life, be it social or economic. Referring to International Women’s Day, observed on March 8, he recalled the words of Swami Vivekananda, who said the idea of “perfect womanhood” was “perfect independence”.
“We are part of a tradition where men were identified because of women. Yashoda-Nandan, Kaushalya-Nandan, Gandhari-Putra, these were identities of a son…,” he said.
Ahead of the National Science Day on February 28, he also stressed on the importance of the “relentless quest” for truth. “And this is the very essence, the real inspiration behind scientific inventions and discoveries. Never rest till every ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ is answered,” he said.
He spoke on the issue of safety ahead of National Safety Day on March 4. He regretted that while people read signboards on safety, they often ignored the messages on them. “most of the mishaps are a consequence of some mistake or the other on our part. If we stay alert, abide by the prescribed rules and regulations, we shall not only be able to save our own lives but we can also prevent catastrophes harming society,” he said.
He said till three years ago, thousands of people lost their lives every year because of heatwave. Since then, the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) has organised workshops on heatwave management as part of a campaign to raise awareness among the people, he said. “In 2017, the death toll on account of heatwave remarkably came down to around 220 or so,” he said.
Modi referred to the newly launched ‘Gobar Dhan’ scheme, in which rural waste would be converted to clean energy through biogas under the Swachh Bharat campaign. He said the aim of ‘Gobar Dhan’ — or Galvanising Organic Bio Agro Resources — was to ensure cleanliness in villages and generate wealth and energy by converting cattle dung and solid agricultural waste into compost and biogas. “There will be novel opportunities for newer jobs linked to waste collection, transportation, biogas sales,” he said.
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