Last Updated on March 29, 2026 5:55 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
AMN / NEW DELHI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed concern over the situation in West Asia, saying that a crisis is emerging around the world regarding petrol and diesel.
Addressing the nation in his Mann Ki Baat programme on Akashvani, Mr Modi said these are challenging times as the region is a major centre of India’s energy needs. He said India’s global relations, support from various countries, and the strengths New Delhi has built over the past decade have enabled India to confront these circumstances.
Showcasing confidence, he said, the nation will emerge victorious from this difficult situation just as it had done during the COVID pandemic. Saying that millions of Indians live in the Gulf countries, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude to these countries for providing all kinds of assistance to more than one crore Indians. He urged all citizens to unitedly overcome this challenge.
Criticising people for politicising this issue, the Prime Minister said they should refrain from doing so. He emphasised that it is a matter concerning the interests of 140 crore countrymen and there is no place for self-serving politics. He added that those who are spreading rumours are causing major harm to the country. Mr Modi appealed to all citizens to remain vigilant and not be misled by rumours. He said only the continuous information provided by the Government should be trusted.
In today’s Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the Gyan Bharatam Survey that reflects the spirit of public participation to showcase India’s great culture and heritage. He further stated that the objective of the initiative is to collect information about manuscripts across the country. People can participate in this survey through the Gyan Bharatam App.
Mr Modi said if they have a manuscript or information about it, they can share its image on the Gyan Bharatam App. Information related to each entry is being verified before it is recorded. Thousands of manuscripts have been shared so far.
The Prime Minister shared that Chao Nantisindh Lokang of Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh, has shared manuscripts in the Tai script. Amit Singh Rana of Amritsar has shared manuscripts in the Gurmukhi script. Some organisations have provided manuscripts written on palm leaves.
Mr Modi said the Abhay Jain Library in Rajasthan has shared very old manuscripts inscribed on copper plates. The Hemis Monastery in Ladakh has provided information about valuable Tibetan manuscripts. The survey will continue until mid-June. Mr Modi urged everyone to share aspects of their culture through the survey.
The Prime Minister highlighted that MY Bharat is playing a major role in fulfilling the responsibility of nation-building. He lauded the organisation for connecting the country’s youth with various positive activities. He spoke about the Budget quest organised by MY Bharat recently. Its aim was to connect the youth across the country with the budget process and policymaking. Nearly 12 lakh youth from across the country participated in the quiz. After the quiz, around one lakh sixty thousand participants were selected for the essay competition.
Mr Modi said he had the opportunity to read some of these essays, which demonstrated the eagerness of youth to contribute to the country’s development. He mentioned the names of Kotla Raghuveer Reddy from Suryapet, Telangana, Saurabh Baiswar from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh and Sumit Kumar from Gopalganj, Bihar, who have written on the topic related to farmer welfare.
Aanchal from Mohali, Punjab, and Om Prakash Rath from Kendrapara, Odisha, expressed their views on ways to advance women-led development. Pratham Barar from Yamunanagar, Haryana, has written that a green and clean India is the only path to a prosperous India. Shankh Gupta from Delhi suggests that more efforts should be made to identify sports talent in rural areas. Mr Modi commended all the young people who shared their ideas, saying these ideas are crucial in taking the country forward.
Prime Minister Modi expressed pride in the Indian team’s historic victory in the recently held T20 World Cup. He was also happy at Jammu and Kashmir cricket team winning the Ranji Trophy at Hubli, Karnataka. He termed it heartening that after a long wait of nearly seven decades, the team achieved its first Ranji Trophy title. Mr Modi said this unprecedented success is the result of years of continuous efforts by the players. He praised team captain Paras Dogra for displaying extraordinary skills. He also lauded the performance of young Kashmiri bowler Aaqib Nabi, who took 60 wickets in the Ranji Trophy.
Mr Modi remarked that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have a tremendous passion for sports and are now becoming a hub for major sporting events. Gulmarg has already established itself as the host of the Khelo India Winter Games. Sports like football are also very popular among the youth there. The Prime Minister hoped that this winning streak of Jammu and Kashmir sports persons would continue in the future.
Prime Minister Modi also mentioned Gulveer Singh from Uttar Pradesh, who created history by finishing third in the New York City Half Marathon. Gulveer Singh became the first Indian athlete to complete a half-marathon in under an hour. Mr Modi also praised squash player Anahat Singh, who won a major international title in the Squash on Fire Open. She achieved this success at just 17 years of age. With this, she has become the youngest Asian female player to make it to the top-20 in the PSA World Ranking.
The Prime Minister mentioned the Asmita Athletics League, in which many sporting events were organised on the occasion of Women’s Day on the 8th of March. Around 2 lakh women participated in the League.
Touching upon the topic of fitness, Prime Minister Modi urged listeners to pay attention to their fitness. He said less than 100 days are left for the International Yoga Day. He remarked that the attraction towards yoga is continuously rising all over the world. He mentioned Almis from Africa’s Djibouti, who is promoting yoga through his Arvind Yoga Centre. He also teaches yoga to people in many other places.
In today’s episode of Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister urged people to cut down their sugar intake, highlighting his reply to a post by Instagram Content Creator Yuvraj Dua. The content creator had requested Mr Modi to urge his father to reduce his sugar intake.
The Prime Minister was pleased to note that his request had a positive impact on his father. Mr Modi also stressed the need to cut down on cooking oil by 10 per cent. He added that these small efforts will keep obesity and lifestyle diseases away.
Mr Modi spoke about a unique initiative related to education in Bengaluru. A team in Bengaluru is running Prayog Institute of Education Research. The Prime Minister elaborated that they have launched an experiment called Anveshan, which provides students from 9th to 12th standard the opportunity to innovate in areas like Chemistry, Earth Science, and Wellness. He stated that this provides students with good research experience and a platform to publish their projects.
The Prime Minister commended the Naga community for their efforts to preserve the past and prepare for the future through education. He said the Naga community deeply respect their tribal traditions. He said the Naga tribes had a traditional system of Morung learning, in which elders share traditional knowledge, history, and life skills with the youth through their experiences. Over time, this system has evolved into the Morung concept of education. Through this system, elders in the community teach them life skills through stories, folk songs and traditional games.
The Prime Minister said that with the onset of summer in several parts of the country, it is time to renew commitment to water conservation. He said that over the last 11 years, the ‘Jal Sanchay Abhiyan’ has created a lot of awareness among the people. Under this campaign, nearly 50 lakh Artificial Water Harvesting Structures have been created across the country. He expressed happiness that community-level efforts are now underway in every village to address the water crisis. He further highlighted that under the Amrit Sarovar Abhiyan as well, nearly 70 thousand Amrit Sarovars have been made across the country. The cleaning of these lakes has also begun before the advent of the rainy season.
Mr Modi shared some inspiring examples of water conservation made through public participation. He gave the example of Wangmun village located in the Jampui Hills of Tripura at an altitude of 3,000 feet. This village had been facing a severe water
crisis. Today, almost every household in Wangmun village has a rooftop rainwater harvesting system installed. Mr Modi said the village that was once struggling with water scarcity has become an inspiring example of water conservation.
Mr Modi also spoke about a unique initiative in Korea district of Chhattisgarh. Farmers of this district made small recharge ponds and soak pits in their fields, allowing rainwater to remain in the fields and gradually seep into the ground. Today, more than 1,200 farmers in this area have adopted this model, and the groundwater level of the village has improved significantly. In Mudhigunta village in Telangana’s Mancherial district, people have come together to address the water problem. Four hundred families have made soak pits at their homes and created a mass movement for water conservation. Mr Modi said this has improved the village’s groundwater level and significantly reduced diseases caused by polluted water.
The Prime Minister also highlighted that his Government is taking initiatives to make the lives of fishermen easier. He said fishermen are not just warriors of the sea, but also a strong foundation of a self-reliant India. He said schemes like port development and insurance for fishermen are proving extremely helpful. He said fishermen are also being alerted about weather through technology. He added that new innovations are taking place in the fields of fisheries and seaweed, and fishermen are becoming self-reliant.
The Prime Minister cited the example of Sujata Bhuyan of Sambalpur, Odisha, who started fish farming in the Hirakud reservoir. Within just two or three years, she transformed her endeavour into a thriving business.
Mr Modi also mentioned Havva Gulzar of Minicoy in Lakshadweep, who used to run a fish processing unit. She decided to set up a cold storage unit and is able to do better business now. Similarly, Mr Modi spoke about Shivling Satappa Huddar of Belagavi, who created a pond farm and received training for this business. He commended all the people associated with the fisheries sector, saying their efforts are strengthening the nation’s economy.
The Prime Minister highlighted that over two lakh 51 thousand saplings were planted in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in a single hour, setting a new Guinness World Record. He said the most remarkable aspect of this effort was the involvement of thousands of people. He said this public participation is also visible in the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign.
Under this campaign, millions of trees have been planted across the country. Mr Modi termed it inspiring that the women of Chizami village in Nagaland are collectively preserving over 150 varieties of traditional seeds. These seeds are being preserved in a community seed bank, run by the village women themselves.
The Prime Minister said the impact of the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is being observed in every corner of the country. He said this scheme has brought about a profound change in the life of Payal Munjpara of Surendranagar district, Gujarat. She received training in solar power technology through the Surya Initiative and completed a four-month Solar PV technician course. She has now become a skilled solar technician.
Mr Modi said Payal is making a name for herself as a solar entrepreneur. He also said that Arun Kumar from Meerut has now become an energy provider in his area.
Recently, Arun Kumar participated in a programme in Delhi and shared his experiences. Muralidhar from Jaipur has achieved similar success. Earlier, his farming was dependent on a diesel pump, which cost thousands of rupees every year. His farming system transformed when he adopted a solar pump.
Prime Minister Modi said the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana is also benefiting many areas of the Northeast. In Tripura, there are many villages of the Riang tribe which faced electricity problems. Now, through solar mini-grids, their homes remain illuminated. Mr Modi said there are countless such examples of solar energy revolution in the country. He urged people to join this revolution and connect others, too.
Lastly, the Prime Minister urged people to keep sharing inspiring stories from their surroundings. He said these messages also reveal the enthusiasm with which people in remote areas listen to Mann Ki Baat.
