Campaign to honour martyred bravehearts launched by PM

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced the launch of the ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ campaign in the run up to Independence Day to honour the martyred bravehearts of the country, with special inscriptions to be installed in panchayats in their memory.

In his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio broadcast, Modi said ‘Amrit Kalash Yatra’ will be organised under the campaign and 7,500 pots carrying soil from different corners of the country will be brought to the national capital along with saplings. He said, “Amrit Vatika will be built near the National War Memorial by fusing the soil and saplings that would arrive in 7500 urns. This ‘Amrit Vatika’ will also become a grand symbol of ‘Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat’.”

The ongoing Amrit Mohatsav to mark the 75th anniversary of the Independence has been resonating everywhere, with over two lakh programmes organised so far. ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ will recall the memory of those brave men and women who laid down their lives for the country, he said.

Noting the whole country came together for the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign last year, he urged people to continue with the tradition of hoisting the tricolour at their houses this time too.

Changes in Haj policy hailed

Modi also hailed the changes made by the government in the Haj policy in the past few years and said now more and more people are getting an opportunity to go for the annual pilgrimage.

Over 4,000 women were able to perform Haj without ‘mehram’ or a male companion which he said was a “big change”, the Prime Minister said.