Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi says India moving towards women-led development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the country was moving from women development to women-led development and emphasised that the dream of New India was where women were empowered, strong and an equal partner in the nation’s overall development.

In his monthly radio address “Mann Ki Baat”, he also urged women to create self-help groups for the GOBAR DHAN initiative which may become a source of income for the rural population.

“The aim of GOBAR-Dhan scheme is to ensure cleanliness in villages and generating wealth and energy by converting cattle dung and solid agricultural waste into Compost and Bio Gas,” Modi said.

Speaking about International Women’s Day on March 8, the Prime Minister said: “There are many programmes that are held in our country and the world. Today the country is moving forward from the path of women development to women-led development.”

Quoting Swami Vivekananda’s saying that the idea of a perfect womanhood was perfect independence, Modi said the dream of New India was where the women were empowered.

“Today, it is our duty to ensure the participation of women in every field of life, be it social or economic life, it is our fundamental duty. We are part of a tradition where men were identified due to women-Yashoda-Nandan, Kaushalya-Nandan, Gandhari-Putra, these were identities of a son.

“Today, woman power has shown inner fortitude and self-confidence, has made herself self-reliant. Not only has she advanced herself but has carried forward the country and society to newer heights.

“After all, our dream of ‘New India’ is the one where women are strong and empowered and are equal partners in the development of the country,” he said.

Referring to a suggestion from a listener, the Prime Minister urged countrymen to felicitate mothers and sisters who have completed 100 years on the occasion of International Women’s day.

“Can a programme of paying respect for such centenarians be held and can’t we reflect upon a life lived long?” he asked.

Hailing efforts of a group of women from Jharkhand who organised a hygiene campaign for an entire month and constructed 1.70 lakh toilets in just 20 days, Modi said they showed that women power was an integral component of the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’.

He mentioned the current budget in which an emphasis has been laid on turning ‘waste to wealth’ and ‘waste to energy’ through bio-gas.

“A target has been set to use cattle dung, agricultural waste, kitchen waste to produce Bio gas based energy. Under the GOBAR-Dhan Scheme, our farmer brothers and sisters will be encouraged to consider dung and other waste not just as a waste but as a source of income.”

Use AI to make lives of ‘divyangs’, farmers simpler

In his address, Modi also that machines were getting smarter through self learning and urged researchers to make use of artificial intelligence (AI) to make the lives of the “divyangs” (differently abled), farmers and the needy more simpler.

“The machines are getting smarter these days through self learning...and this technology of AI should be used to improve the lives of the farmers, poor and the needy people,” he said.

Modi said that he attended a programme on AI at the University of Mumbai where he “urged the scientists and researchers to make use of AI to make the lives of the divyangs more simpler”.

The Prime Minister said that through AI, “we can be alerted about natural calamities.Can we help the farmers to know about their crops return? Can it be used to improve the reach of the medical services and help in curing the diseases in more advanced way?”

“Science and technology are value neutral. They do not have their own intelligence but it depends on us what work we want to take from that machine. And here the human objective guides the outcome of the technology.

“The technology and machines should be used for the betterment of the humankind,” he added.

Modi also referred to his last month visit’s to Ahmedabad along with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.

“During my visit to the the iCreate Centre in Ahmedabad’s Deo Dholera village, I saw how a youth had developed technology for people who cannot speak.

“He developed a device, where a dumb person, whatever he wants to speak just need to write which gets converted into a voice.”

Modi also said that on February 28, the nation celebrates National Science Day, the same day when C.V. Raman discovered light scattering.

“It is being said that he discovered light scattering on February 28 and that was the reason why we celebrate the day as National Science Day. He was conferred with the Nobel Prize for his work,” he said.