After his ‘vocal for local’ pitch Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 87th edition of ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio broadcast on Sunday made a call for ‘local for global’ while lauding the quantum jump in exports of Indian products.
Praising India for achieving the export target of $400 billion, PM Modi said that at first instance, it might come across as a matter related to the economy; but more than the economy, it was related to the capability of India, the potential of India.
“Our export figures stand at 400 billion dollars today and this means that the demand for items made in India is increasing all over the world. The supply chain of India is getting stronger by the day. Today we are exporting millet, mango and famous Nagaland chilli. The nation takes great strides when resolutions are bigger than dreams,’’ said the PM.
Today new products from all corners of the country were reaching foreign shores be they leather goods from Hailakandi in Assam or handloom products from Osmanabad, fruits and vegetables from Bijapur or black rice from Chandauli, the exports of all of these were increasing, he said. The world famous apricot of Ladakh was gaining popularity in Dubai too and in Saudi Arabia, bananas were shipped from Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister added.
He attributed the success of “Make in India” drive to farmers, artisans, weavers, engineers, small entrepreneurs and MSME sector, among others, and pitched for making the local ‘global’ and augment the prestige of Indian products further.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the need for yoga and cleanliness and urged children to take up water conservation issues on a war footing.
He urged the entrepreneurs in Aayush-related start-ups to propagate their products in languages for audiences in non-English speaking foreign countries.
Mr. Modi noted that during the last one year through the government’s GeM portal, the government had purchased items worth more than ₹ 1 lakh-crore.
Close to 1.25 lakh small entrepreneurs, small shopkeepers from every corner of the country had sold their goods directly to the government, the PM said
“There was a time when only big companies could sell goods to the government. However, the country is changing now; the old systems are also changing. Now even the smallest of shopkeepers can sell one’s goods to the government on the GeM Portal – this is the New India. She not only dreams big, but also shows the courage to reach that goal, where no one has reached before. On the basis of this very courage, all of us Indians together will definitely fulfill the dream of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, a self-reliant India,’’ he said while also paying tributes to iconic Dalit social reformer Mahatma Phule of Maharashtra and his wife, Savitri Phule, for their works on girls’s education and against inequality.
“Taking inspiration from the life of Mahatma Phule, Savitribai Phule, Babasaheb Ambedkar, I request all the parents and guardians to ensure education for their daughters. In order to increase the enrolment of daughters in schools, the Kanya Shiksha Pravesh Utsav has also been started a few days ago… the focus is on bringing back to school those girls who missed their studies for some reason,’’ Mr. Modi said.
The Prime Minister also called upon every citizen to make his contribution towards saving every drop of water.
