In 87th Mann ki Baat, PM Modi hails India’s achievement of $400 bn export target

“India has achieved the export target of $400 billion, that is Rs 30 lakh crore… At one time, the figure of exports from India used to be $100 billion, at times $150 billion, sometimes $200 billion… Today, India has reached $400 billion. In a way, this means that the demand
for items made in India is increasing all over the world; the other meaning is that the supply chain of India is getting stronger by the day,” the Prime Minister said.

Exports of leather products from Hailakandi in Assam, handloom products from Osmanabad, fruits and vegetables from Bijapur and black rice from Chandauli are increasing, he said, adding that an array of new products are being sent to new countries.

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“For example, the first consignment of millets grown in Himachal and Uttarakhand was exported to Denmark. Bainganapalli and Subarnarekha mangoes from Krishna and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh were exported to South Korea. Fresh jackfruit from Tripura were exported to London by air and, for the first time, king chillies from Nagaland were dispatched to London. Similarly, the first consignment of Bhalia wheat was exported from Gujarat to Kenya and Sri Lanka,” Modi said.

Referencing the Government e-Market (GeM portal), Modi said that even small entrepreneurs played a major partnership role in procurement through the portal. He said that during the past year, the government had purchased items worth over one lakh crore rupees through the portal.

“Close to 1.25 lakh small entrepreneurs, small shopkeepers from every corner of the country have sold their goods directly to the government. There was a time when only big companies could sell goods to the government… Now even the smallest of shopkeepers can sell one’s goods to the government on the GeM Portal,” he said.

Mentioning that World Health Day will be observed on April 7, Modi said that like most people he was astonished to see the agility of the 126-year-old monk and Padma awardee from Varanasi, Baba Sivanand. “Before one could bat an eyelid, he started bowing in the Nandi Mudra… Both his age of 126 years and the fitness of Baba Sivanand are the subject of discussion in the country today… He has a passion for yoga and leads a very healthy lifestyle.”

Modi also said that lifestyles which included yoga and ayurveda were picking up globally and that the Ayush manufacturing industry has grown exponentially from Rs 22,000 crore six years ago to Rs 1,40,000 crore. Ayush was also becoming a desirable destination for the start-up sector, he pointed out.

He spoke about prominent Ayush start-ups, including Kapiva which produces “modern ayurvedic nutrition products”; Nirog-Street, a technology-driven platform which connects people with ayurveda doctors; Atreya Innovations, a healthcare technology start-up in holistic wellness; Ixoreal, which produces Ashwagandha; and Cureveda, which manufactures ayurveda-based dietary supplements.

The Prime Minister also acknowledged the work of Swachhagrahis (cleanliness warriors) – Chandrakishore Patil from Nashik who cleans trash from the banks of Godavari and Rahul Maharana of Puri who collects plastic waste from pilgrimage sites in the city. Mupattam Sri Narayanan of Kerala, who started a project called ‘Pots for water of life’ and distributed earthen pots so that animals and birds do not face water problems during summer, also found mention in the Mann ki Baat speech.

With the onset of summer, Modi emphasised the need for water conservation and recycling, adding that children could be drivers of this movement by becoming ‘water warriors’.

He mentioned Arun Krishnamurthy from Chennai, who has cleaned 150 ponds and lakes, and Rohan Kale of Maharashtra, who is running a campaign to preserve hundreds of step-wells in Maharashtra.

Modi further said that the government will celebrate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Phule on April 11 and that of Babasaheb Ambedkar on April 14. Both Mahatma Phule as well as Savitribai Phule worked for the education of the girl child, he said. “In order to increase the enrolment of daughters in schools, the Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav was started a few days ago… the focus is on bringing back to schools those girls who missed their studies owing to various reasons.”

The Prime Minister also extended his greetings to the nation ahead of the upcoming festivals of Navratri, Easter and Ramadan next month.