Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 125th episode of the monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, hailed the J-K Khelo India Water Sports at Dal Lake and expressed that he is deeply saddened by the recent floods and landslides that caused widespread destruction due to the Monsoon. He also talked about the Pratibha Setu Portal, which he said would be a game-changer for UPSC aspirants who failed to clear the coveted examination by a narrow margin.
While expressing sorrow over the loss of lives, homes, and infrastructure due to monsoon-related disasters, he praised the NDRF, SDRF, and other security personnel for their tireless efforts, saying they “worked day and night to save people”.
“In this Monsoon season, natural disasters are testing the country. In the last few weeks, we have witnessed massive havoc caused by floods and landslides. Homes torn apart, fields submerged, entire families destroyed. The relentless surge of water swept away bridges-roads got washed away, and people’s lives were in danger. These incidents have saddened every Indian. The pain of the families who lost their loved ones is shared by all of us,” he said during Mann ki Baat.
PM Modi spoke to Khelo India participants
During his monthly radio programme, he also spoke to the participants. One of them is Rasmita Sahoo from Odisha, and the other is Mohsin Ali of Srinagar.
Rasmita Sahoo joined sports in 2017 with canoeing after she saw a canoeing-kayaking boat passing by and found it very “interesting”. She also
“I am a canoeing player. I joined sports in 2017 with canoeing and have participated at the national level, in National Championships and National Games. I have won 41 medals, 13 Gold, 14 Silver and 14 Bronze. I come from a village where there are no sports activities. Boating was taking place in a nearby river, so my friends and I went swimming. While we were swimming, we saw a canoeing-kayaking boat passing by. I didn’t know anything about it… I found it very interesting…I immediately went home and told my father that I want to join this sport…,” she said during Mann ki Baat.
She also advised young athletes not to leave sports and continue following their passion, adding that it is the duty of athletes to take sports forward and win medals for India.
“Sports are a game, but they keep every part of the body healthy,” she went on to say.
Mohsin Ali, who won Gold in Khelo India, said that he is very proud of his achievement. “I am very happy that I won a Gold Medal in the Khelo India event, which took place for the first time here, in Kashmir. People are talking about it a lot. The entire family is happy. Everyone in Kashmir calls me a Gold Medalist.”
Ali told PM Modi that his dream is to win an Olympic medal for India and have the national anthem played on the world stage.
PM Modi said he got goosebumps listening to Ali’s words and remarked that India is moving forward and will continue to progress, especially when a son from a family of labourers is dreaming big for the nation. He even expressed gratitude towards Ali’s father.
PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat: Key takeaways
– PM Modi shed light on the first day-night cricket match in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama, saying that earlier it was impossible, but now the “country is changing”. The match that took place is part of the Royal Premier League, which saw participation of different teams across Jammu and Kashmir.
– He also brought to attention India’s first Khela India water Sports festival at Srinagar’s Dal Lake. PM said that the main motive behind it is to make water sports more popular in the region.
In the event, over 800 athletes participated, and the participation of women was almost equal to that of men, the PM said.
– He congratulated Madhya Pradesh, which won the most medals at the sports festival, followed by Haryana and Odisha.
– He also talked about UPSC, touted as India’s toughest exam. He also talked about Pratibha Setu for those who missed the UPSC. According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the portal is the second gateway for aspirants who missed clearing UPSC by a “narrow margin”.
“Pratibha Setu Portal is a strategic initiative that allows verified employers to access details of non-recommended willing candidates,” the website states.
The website, according to the PM, has the data of 10,000 such promising candidates. He also informed the nation that thousands of candidates have got jobs through this portal.
– He also shared that German Football player and coach Dietmar Beiersdorfer wrote a letter to him and offered to train players from Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol in an academy in Germany. The German coach came to know about the talented players after listening to PM Modi’s podcast with Lex Fridman.
He said that soon, some players from the state would undergo training in Germany.
– PM Modi also shared about Jitendra Singh Rathod, who is a resident of Surat. He is a security guard who has a detailed record of soldiers who have been martyred, from the First World War to the present day. He also has thousands of pictures of those who lost their lives protecting India. What’s more, he even has soil from the feet of the parents of 2,500 soldiers who lost their lives at the border.
Rathod started collecting these photographs after a proud father of a soldier who was martyred told him, “Though my son is gone, our nation remains secure.”
– He also highlighted the use of solar panels by the farmers, people and the mills in the country.
PM Modi gave a special shoutout to one woman, Devaki, from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, who is also known as “Solar Didi”. Devaki, the PM said, got married at a young age. She has tons of responsibilities, including her four children and a small field. However, she never lost courage.
She joined a self-help group where she learnt about solar pumps. She built solar pumps for the village, and it is irrigating over 40 acres of land. This has also boosted the income of the farmers.