100th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’

·         “  People who we mention in 'Mann Ki Baat' are all our Heroes who have made this program come alive. Today, when we have reached the milestone of the 100th episode, I also wish that we once again go to all these Heroes to know about their journey. 

·         Brother Sunil Jaglan of Haryana has had such an impact on my mind because there used to be a lot of discussion on gender ratio in Haryana and I also started the campaign of 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' from Haryana itself. When I came across Sunil ji's 'Selfie with Daughter' campaign, I felt very happy. I also learned from him and included it in 'Mann Ki Baat'. In no time 'Selfie with Daughter' turned into a global campaign. As a result of many such efforts, today the gender ratio has improved in Haryana.

·         In 'Mann Ki Baat' we have mentioned hundreds of inspiring stories of woman power of the country. Like we discussed about the women of Deur village of Chhattisgarh. These women, through Self Help Groups, run campaigns to clean village squares, roads and temples. Similarly, the country also took a lot of inspiration from the tribal women of Tamil Nadu, who exported thousands of eco-friendly terracotta cups. In Tamil Nadu itself, 20 thousand women came together to revive the Nag river in Vellore. Many such campaigns have been led by our women power and 'Mann Ki Baat' has served as a platform to bring their efforts to the fore.

·          Manzoor Ahmad Allaieji from Kashmir valley's Pulwama district has been making invaluable contribution in educating the young minds of our country. Manzoor ji is a pencil slat factory owner who has manifested the tremendous power of 'Vocal for Local'. Manzoor Ahmad to PM - "Ever since you mentioned us in 'Mann ki Baat' programme, sir, work has increased a lot since then sir and employment for others has also increased a lot in this work. Now I have 200 plus workers in the factory. I am expanding it in a couple of months and employment for 200 more people will increase. Even the farmers have benefited a lot from this project. They used to sell a tree for Rs 2000, now the price of same tree has reached Rs 5000. Demand has increased a lot".

·         A few episodes ago, I had also mentioned about Manipur's sister Bijayashanti. She makes clothes from lotus fibers. This unique ecofriendly idea of her was discussed in 'Mann Ki Baat' and her work became more popular. Bijayashanti to PM - "I am currently carrying out my work with the help of 30 women. This year I plan to expand my team to 100 women. After the project was mentioned in 'Mann ki Baat' program everyone came to know about lotus fibre. I have started getting orders from abroad as well. I have got orders from the US. They want to buy lotus in bulk. So, I have now become an exporter of 'Made in India' Lotus Fibre".

·         Through 'Mann Ki Baat', many mass movements have come into being and gained momentum. For example, the very mission to reestablish our toys and our toy industry started with 'Mann Ki Baat'. The beginning of raising awareness about Indian breed dogs, our native dogs, was also started with 'Mann Ki Baat' only. We started another campaign that we will not bargain with the poor, small scale shopkeepers,… we will not haggle with them. Even when the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign started, 'Mann Ki Baat' played a big role in connecting the countrymen with this resolve. Every such example has become an agent of change in the society.

·          In one episode, we had discussed Pradeep Sangwan ji's 'Healing Himalayas' campaign. He is with us on the phone line. "Till 2020, we were struggling a lot. Not many people were. They were not even paying that much attention to our campaign. But after 2020, when it was mentioned in 'Mann Ki Baat', many things changed. Earlier we used to conduct 6-7 cleaning drives in a year. Today, we collect five tons of garbage on a daily basis from different locations" - Pradeep Sangwan.

·         We have continuously talked about serious topics like Clean Siachen, single use plastic and e-waste. Today, this effort of 'Mann Ki Baat' is very important in solving environmental issues about which the whole world is concerned. 

·         UNESCO DG Audrey Azoulay has conveyed her curiosity about India's efforts regarding Education and Cultural Preservation. In 'Mann Ki Baat', we have highlighted the efforts of many such people, who are selflessly working for education. Once we discussed about Late D Prakash Rao, a tea vendor in Odisha who was engaged in the mission of teaching poor children. Be it Sanjay Kashyap, who runs Digital Libraries in the villages of Jharkhand, Hemlata N K who helped many children through e-learning during COVID. We have also accorded regular place to the efforts of Cultural Preservation in 'Mann Ki Baat'. You must remember, once we had discussed Indian forms of education through Story Telling with story tellers from across the country. This year, where we are moving forward in the Azadi Ka Amritkaal and coincidentally, India is also presiding over the G-20. This is also one of the reasons why our resolve to enrich diverse global cultures along with education has become stronger.

·         Today, we are completing the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat with the same spirit of Charaiveti Charaiveti. In strengthening the social fabric of India, Mann Ki Baat is like the thread of a rosary, holding each bead together. In every episode, the spirit of service and capability of the countrymen have inspired others. In this program, every countryman becomes an inspiration to other countrymen. In a way, every episode of Mann Ki Baat prepares the ground for the next episode.

·         Today, I would also like to thank the personnel of All India Radio who prepare and broadcast this program with great patience. I am also thankful to the translators, who translate Mann Ki Baat into different regional languages in a very short time. I also thank the personnel of Doordarshan and MyGov. I express my gratitude to all the TV channels, people from electronic media across the country, who show Mann Ki Baat without commercial breaks. Lastly, I would also like to express my gratitude to those who don the mantle of Mann Ki Baat - the people of India, people who have faith in India. All this has been possible only because of your inspiration and strength.

(Source: pmindia.gov.in)