Participate in internship under Swachh Bharat, get awards, says PM Modi in Mann Ki Baat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants students to utilise their summer vacations by taking up a special internship in the flagship cleanliness campaign, Swachh Bharat.

In his monthly radio broadcast Mann ki Baat, the PM asked the youth to enrol for the Swachh Bharat Summer Internship 2018, which would earn them incentives, including credit points from the University Grants Commission.

Ahead of Ramzan and Buddha Purnima, the PM hailed Prophet Muhammad and Lord Buddha, asking people to remember their teachings.

“This is an opportunity to remember the teachings of Prophet Muhammad — peace be upon him — and his message. It is our responsibility to follow the path of equality and brotherhood as morals from his life,” Modi said in his radio programme on Sunday.

He underlined that Ramzan is celebrated with reverence and respect throughout the world.

The PM said: “He did not possess an iota of ego and preached that knowledge alone defeats ego. Prophet Mohammad Sahib (peace be upon him) believed that if you possessed anything more than your requirement, then donate it to the needy. Prophet Muhammad Sahib believed that a person is rich because of his inherent spirituality, and not materialistic wealth. I wish all the citizens an auspicious month of Ramzan and I hope this opportunity will inspire people to follow the Prophet’s message of peace and goodwill.”

Modi said “once a person asked the Prophet about the best thing in Islam and the reply was ‘feeding a poor and needy and meeting everyone cordially, whether you know him or not’”.

He also told his listeners to be proud that India was the birthplace of Lord Buddha. “The very synonym of power of compassion, service and sacrifice, who guided millions of people around the world,” he described Buddha and said that it was “our obligation to emulate Lord Buddha’s teaching as well as, pledge ourselves to follow his footsteps. Lord Buddha was the fountainhead of egalitarianism, peace, harmony and brotherhood. These are human values, which are most desired in the world today.”

The speech, which lasted over half an hour, also touched upon India’s success at the Commonwealth Games, the demonstration of the country’s scientific and military might at Pokhran 2 and other issues.

Apart from the cleanliness drive, the PM also turned his focus on water conservation in his radio show at the beginning of summer. Emphasising that the government was not leaving any stones unturned, Modi said that his government pumped Rs 32,000 crore annually outside the MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) budget and 150 lakh acres of land has benefitted from it in the past three years.