Modi to deliver 50th Mann ki Baat

NEW DELHI: The 50th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popular radio show, Mann ki Baat, will air on All India Radio on Sunday.

The programme that was started in October 2014, months after the Modi government assumed office, is broadcast on the last Sunday of every month and has covered a gamut of issues from drug abuse to the government’s ambitious Swachhta programme.

The radio broadcast, which is translated into various Indian languages and is also adapted for television viewing, went on air for the first time with PM Modi urging citizens to use at least one khaadi product. He explained how buying khaadi products helps poor weavers.

The impact of this idea was seen when sales of khaadi products jumped by 125% within a week and this success was shared in the episode in November 2014, said an official aware of the matter on condition of anonymity.

The official said the government is currently collating data on the impact the programme has had and will, at a later stage, share the success stories and testimonials from beneficiaries.

Citing an instance, the official said after the PM advocated the use of khaadi products, the railway ministry, police department, Indian Navy, postal department of Uttarakhand and many such government organisations took initiatives to promote the use of home-spun cotton.

The Prime Minister has also used the radio broadcast to address social concerns such as drug abuse.

“Taking the cue from the idea shared by Abhishek Pareekh in November 2014, PM Modi dedicated the entire Mann Ki Baat episode in December 2014 to tackling the problem. He requested all those active on social media to create a continuous online movement by joining the drugs-free India hashtag,” the official said.

A special joint address with then US President Barack Obama was the highlight of January 2015, while February saw him encourage students preparing to take examinations.

In this episode, the PM discussed how exams should be celebrated as a festival.

Later the theme of the show ‘Exam Warriors’ went on to become the title of the PM’S book on dealing with examinations as well as a community-driven initiative to make exams fun.

Recently, Modi invited citizens to the ‘Fit India’ challenge and nominate celebrities to join.