andalib akhter / New Delhi
Sharing pain and suffering of Kashmiris at his ‘Man Ki baat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked the people of Kashmir not to get mislead by enemies of the nation.
Prime Minister said that peace, unity, compassion and harmony are the paths which will lead towards development and progress in Kashmir.
Addressing the nation on his Mann Ki Baat programme on All India Radio, Prime Minister said citizens of the state are becoming aware of the anti national and divisive forces. He said people in the Valley have begun to understand the truth and are treading on the path of peace.
Mr Modi expressed belief that the Kashmir issue will be solved through dialogue. He said everyone wants normalcy to prevail in the state and go back to their day to day activities. He said peace, unity, compassion and harmony are the paths which will lead towards development and progress.
Saying that the responsibility for security of Jammu and Kashmir rests with the government, Mr Modi said government has to take several steps in order to maintain law and order.
At the same time Prime Minister reiterated that the perpetrators of Uri terror will not be spared. Prime Minister saluted the bravehearts who sacrificed their lives in the terrorist attack which shook the nation.
Saying it is a loss for the entire nation, Mr Modi expressed confidence in the country’s Armed Forces. Prime minister said nation’s forces are fully equipped to foil any nefarious designs. He said politicians have many occasions to speak, but Indian soldiers do so by becoming victors over their opponents.
Mentioning a letter from a student of Class XI, who expressed anguish at Uri attack, Prime Minister said patriotism should lead to adoption of a constructive approach for the benefit of the nation. He recounted how former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shahtri had given the slogan of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan, during the 1965 war as a wave of patriotism swept the nation. The Prime Minister drove home the point that nation will reach new heights if each person follows his duties, be he a soldier, a politician or a common man.
Lauding the performance of athletes in the Paralympics at Rio, Mr Modi said the Games changed the way nation looked at Divyangs. He said this year’s performace was the best ever at the Games, with a haul of two Gold, one Silver and a Bronze. He lauded the performance of medal winners – Devendra Jhajharia in javelin throw, Mariappan Thangavelu and Varun Shivbhati in high jump, and Dipa Malik in shot put. Prime minister said in a planned way country will be marching forward for the expansion of para olympics in the country in the coming days.
The Prime Minister said these athletes had fought against all odds to become achievers. He expressed awe at the fact that even Olympic records were broken during the Paralympics.
The Prime Minister recounted his feeling of pride during a mega camp in Gujarat last week for Divyangs. He said a new record was created in the Guiness Book of Records during the event as 600 hearing impaired Divyangs were provided hearing aids in 8 hours.
Speaking on Swachhta Abhiyan, Mr Modi said citizens have now become more aware on cleanliness. He said it is every citizen’s duty to make cleanliness a habit. He said till now 2 crores and 48 lakh toilets have been constructed and 1.5 crore will be constructed in the coming year. The Prime Minister stressed that country must become open defecation free especially for the dignity of women.He said Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Kerala are very close to achieving Open Defecation Free status. Expressing his happiness over the fact that Porbandar in Gujarat will achieve Open Defecation Free status on 2nd October this year, he said media has played a proactive role in spreading awareness on cleanliness.
The Prime Minsiter called for a revenue model based on Swachhta Abhiyan. Saying that Waste to Wealth and Waste to Compost can be a part of the Mission, Mr Modi said solid waste should be processed and turned to compost. He said government has already started policy intervention on the matter. Mr Modi also invited the youth to create Start Ups on Waste to Wealth as it can be a big avenue for employment.
The Prime minister appealed to the countrymen to purchase khadi products between Gandhi Jayanti and Diwali. He also complimented organisations for planning to celebrate 2nd October to 8 October as the Joy of Giving week .