"This Diwali, Celebrate Women Power," Says PM Modi In 'Mann Ki Baat'; Key Takeaways

PM Modi started the session by dialing legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar who turned 90 on Saturday.

Image: PTI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, addressed the nation in his monthly radio broadcast, ‘Mann Ki Baat’. This was the fourth edition of Mann Ki Baat, after his re-election as the Prime Minister and first after his US trip. Prime Minister Modi extended greetings to the countrymen for Navratra and the upcoming festivals of Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath. Hailing women power PM said: “This Diwali, let's celebrate skills and strengths of our Nari Shakti.” Key Highlights:

• PM Modi started the session by dialing legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar and congratulated her on her 90^th birthday which was on Saturday. “There would hardly be anyone who does not show utmost regard for Lata Mangeshkar ji. She is elder to most of us and has been witness to different eras in the country. We address her as 'didi'. She turns 90 today,” he said.
• Prime Minister also discussed about e-cigarettes, which have recently been banned. He said that wrong narrative is being spread about e-cigarette and that it is harming the youth of the country. “We all know that addiction to tobacco is extremely harmful for health and it becomes very difficult to get out of this addiction. People who consume tobacco are vulnerable to diseases like cancer, diabetes, blood pressure etc,” he said. “There is very little awareness among people about e-cigarettes. They are completely unaware of its danger and for this reason sometimes e-cigarettes find their way into homes out of curiosity.”
• He also discussed sports and games in his address and lauded Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev for his strength of character.
• He called for a unique practice called "plogging" -- where one jogs and collects trash. The Prime Minister was visibly impressed with the idea and invited the people across the country to walk 2 km on October 2 and take part in "plogging". He has entrusted the Sports Ministry for the job.
• The Prime Minister also reiterated his strong stand against single-use plastic and invited Indians to be a part of the movement against it on Gandhi Jayanti.
• "India has jumped from 65th to 34th position on global travel and tourism index...Travel to different parts of the country during the festive vacation. Do travel to at least 15 different places across India," Modi urged.
• He ended his radio address by reminding about the impending 'Run for Unity' on October 31 on the occasion of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary.