By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankar Wednesday inaugurated a day-long National Conclave on Mann Ki Baat @100 in the presence of Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The Conclave has been organised to mark the continued success of Prime Minister’s monthly radio broadcast that has reached over 100 crore people across India.
Speaking on the occasion Vice President Shri Dhankar called 2014 an epochal development that has shaped the destiny of India taking her on a path of progress and an unstoppable rise. Calling a coalition government a brake on development, Shri Dhankar qualified his observation stating “in 2014, after a gap of 30 years, India received political stability in Parliament in form of a single party majority government”. He further noted that in 2014 Prime Minister started his experiment in personal communication with the people in form of Mann Ki Baat. The experiment had another consequence, bringing the hitherto straggling medium of communication, the radio, to the forefront.
The Vice President praised the monthly broadcast for being completely apolitical and commended the achievement of 100 episodes. He called Mann Ki Baat a reflection of our civilizational ethos.
Speaking about the sessions that followed the inaugural event, he said that now is the best time for Nari Shakti, and women are entering unchartered arenas of achievements, exemplifying with the fact that our President is an enormously talented tribal woman. A culturally rich country had forgotten its own contribution and the Prime Minister’s contribution through his Mann Ki Baat in reviving that spirit is notable, he further stated.
Shri Dhankar spoke about India when it completes 100 years of independence in 2047 and said the firm foundations of Bharat@100 and what the country would be, have been strongly laid by MannKiBaat@100. He also credited the programme with causing a general reduction in negativity in the country and increase in all-round positive sentimentality. He added that while earlier the country was losing hope and our worldwide image had nosedived, now we foresee India at the top.
“Mann Ki Baat has branded local artisans, talent and skills in a very short span of time. It is a bouquet of diversity in a country divided by caste, creed and religion unable to harness the talent. It is a harbinger of mass movement as exemplified during Janta Curfew, which was only a call to action by the Prime Minister. The programme capsules the aspirations of our people, motivates them to look forward”, Shri Dhankar said.
Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur during his speech said that Mann Ki Baat is woven around the theme of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. The programme plays a key role in highlighting the achievements of common people of India and the medium chosen for this messaging the Radio is the original medium of mass communication.
The Minister acknowledged the presence of 106 dignitaries who have been mentioned during various editions of Mann Ki Baat and further said that achievements of over 700 people and organisations have found mention in the 99 episodes aired so far. While Government has launched Khelo India to encourage athletes, Mann Ki Baat has acted as force multiplier for their motivation by taking their achievements to every household in the country.
Mann Ki Baat has become a mechanism to influence behaviour, as has been brought out by a recent survey by IIM Rohtak. Citing an instance, the Minister recalled when Prime Minister lauded a couple who donated their infant daughters’ organs after her demise, the message of organ donation was warmly received in every family.
Shri Thakur informed the audience that when the Prime Minister visits foreign countries, he carries with him gifts from the smallest regions of the country and presents them to the dignitaries from the host country, thus giving identities and symbols from corners of India worldwide recognition. That many surveys across the world keep finding PM Modi as a leading favourite among world leaders is a testimony to the effective reach of Mann Ki Baat, he added.
Citing recent visit by Apple CEO Tim Cook to India, the Minister said today the world looks up to India and its economy as a beacon of hope amid global despondency.
The Prime Minister seeks inputs for his radio broadcast from the people of India. The Minister informed that 61 thousand inputs were received only for the first 15 episodes of Mann Ki Baat. 2017 witnessed the expansion of the reach of the programme by way of translation of the Prime Minister’s address in various languages.
The inaugural event marked the release of two books by the Vice President. The first, a coffee table book on ‘Mann Ki Baat@100’, highlights the journey of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and how the programme has resulted in the beginning of a new epoch in direct communication between the Prime Minister and the citizens. The second book, ‘Collective Spirit, Concrete Action’ by Shri, S. S. Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati, documents the fascinating facets of PM Modi’s ongoing conversations with the world’s largest democracy, highlighting social, economic, environmental, cultural, health, and fitness issues that resonate with the very heart of our nation.
Secretary, Ministry of I&B in his welcome note, said that the 106 achievers present in the audience are a reflection of the Prime Minister’s vision of community participation leading to social change. He credited Mann Ki Baat with having a tremendous social impact by inspiring and empowering people. He remarked that Mann Ki Baat has become the most popular programme in the history of All India Radio.
Also present on the occasion were Dr Sudesh Dhankar, wife of Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankar and Shri Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO, Prasar Bharati.
The day long conclave consists of four thematic sessions on the topic Nari Shakti, Virasat Ka Uthan, Jan Samvad Se Atmanirbharta and Ahwan Se Jan Andolan followed by a valedictory session.
100th episode of the monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat will be aired on 30th April 2023.
