New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday urged citizens to buy products made by local artisans and strengthen the ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative as the country gears up to celebrate Diwali.
In his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’, he also highlighted the success of Indian products in international markets.
Bihar’s ‘makhana’ and Karnataka’s ‘arhar dal’ are finding new markets across the world, while Maharashtra’s tribal products are gaining recognition through packaging that reflects the richness of tribal art, Modi said.
“The popularity of Khadi is growing, supporting the artisans whose skills keep our traditions alive. Let’s strengthen ‘Vocal for Local’ by choosing products made by our local artisans,” he said.
Modi also spoke about the revival of traditional farming practices in Punjab, noting that an organisation named ‘Kheti Virasat Mission’ has started breathing new life into organic farming.
He said the people in this team wanted to promote natural cotton farming in Punjab’s Malwa region and named the initiative ‘Nav-Trinjan’.
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“Under this initiative, organic cotton is grown without the use of chemicals. Cotton with natural colours is also grown here, so no separate chemicals are needed to dye the yarn and fabrics made from it,” he said.
During the broadcast, Modi also spoke about people in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand coming together to breathe new life into the Heval river.
A few years ago, he said, the water in the Heval river had started to dwindle, and the natural water sources around it were also drying up.
Modi said that in such a situation, the local administration and villagers joined hands to launch a campaign to save the Heval river.
“During this effort, measures were taken to capture rainwater, work was done to channel water into the soil, and a large number of plants were planted. Today, thanks to this initiative, the Heval river has received a new lease of life, and it has also helped revive dozens of natural water sources,” he said.
In his radio broadcast, the prime minister also said that ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was a “pilgrimage” for him to closely know the efforts of the country’s people and pay homage to their contributions.
