Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann ki baat’, mentions the challenges faced by the country this year and believes that “this year can turn into a year of positive milestones, if we march ahead with this feeling.”

“Mann ki baat has crossed the halfway mark for 2020. People are constantly discussing when this year will end? People feel this year is not auspicious. Did we know 6-7 months ago that we would be facing the Coronavirus pandemic? Many other challenges are being faced by us - cyclones, earthquakes, locust attacks, and if that wasn’t enough trouble, from our neighbours too,” he said.

“Troubles do come but is it fair to condemn a whole year as ‘bad’? Whether we face one challenge a year or multiple, it should not affect our perception of a year. As a nation we have faced challenges in the past but we have transcended all these challenges.”

The Prime Minister mentioned that river Ganges, over the ages, has kept flowing. "New creations are on in every sector, and the country marched ahead. We have to keep this in mind and march ahead. This very year can turn into a year of positive milestones if we march ahead with this feeling. However big the challenge, our values talk of unselfish sewa and the whole world has acknowledged it. They have also seen our determination to protect our sovereignty," he said.

Befitting reply in Ladakh

"In East Ladakh we have shown that while we desire peace, we can also respond with strength. The whole country is grateful to the brave soldiers who gave their lives for the security of the country. The country is amazed at the sentiment of the families of the martyrs who lost their lives. The words of Shahid Kundan Kumar’s father, that he would send his grandsons to the Army too is a sentiment worth saluting."

"Rajaniji of Assam has written that after what happened in East Ladakh that she will buy local as much as possible. Before independence, we were ahead of the world in defence production, but later other countries went ahead of us. We are again trying to recapture our self reliance in defence production. No campaign can succeed without public participation. Therefore if you buy local and be vocal for it, it is in a way of sewa of the country."

Unlocking agriculture and more

"We have now entered the unlock phase after being under lockdown. The country has to be more alert in this phase, more than it was under lockdown. Our government has also “unlocked” many sectors of the economy that were under lockdown for decades. The agriculture sector is one of them - where after decades of lockdown farmers are now free to market and sell their products to whom they want."