New Delhi, Feb 26 (FN Bureau) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has brought a digital revolution in the country and many countries have shown their interest in it. “Be it India’s E-SanjeevaniApp or UPI, these have proved to be very helpful in raising the Ease of Living” he said addressing the, 98th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’. “Many countries of the world are drawn towards it. Just a few days ago, UPI-PayNow Link was launched between India and Singapore. Now, people of Singapore and India are transferring money from their mobile phones in the same way as they do within their respective countries” he said. Modi added that, ” E-Sanjeevani is becoming a life-saving app for the common man of the country, for the middle class, for the people living in hilly areas. This is the power of India’s digital revolution. And today we are seeing its effect in every field”. The Prime Minister said different apps play a big role in taking the power of Digital India to every home and till now, the number of tele-consultants using this app has crossed the figure of 10 crores.
Modi spoke to Dr. Madan Mani from Sikkim to know how effective Tele-consultation has been for the people. The Prime Minister also drew the attention towards the problem of mounting e-waste and its consequences, he said Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has changed the meaning of public participation in our country. In the series, he also called for Indians to replace plastic bags with cloth bags for daily shopping. “If we resolve, we can make a huge contribution towards a clean India. At least we all should take a pledge to replace plastic bags with cloth bags. You will see, how much satisfaction your resolution will give you, and also inspire other people” he said. He said “Waste to Wealth’ is also an important dimension of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Modi also gave the example of Kamala Moharana, a sister from Kendrapada district of Odisha, who runs a self-help group. The women of this group make many things like baskets and mobile stands from milk pouches and other plastic packing materials. “This is becoming a good source of income for them along with ensuring cleanliness” he said. In the 98th episode of Mann Ki Baat, the Prime Minister looked back at the programme’s journey so far and expressed delight that it has become a wonderful platform for public participation. “In ‘Mann Ki Baat’, when we referred to Indian toys, the people of the country promoted this too, readily.
Nowadays, Indian toys have become such a craze that their demand has increased even in foreign countries’ he said. Modi said that when we spoke of Indian genres of story-telling in ‘Mann Ki Baat’, their fame also reached far and wide. People started getting attracted towards the Indian story-telling genre, more and more. On Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary – ‘Unity Day’ – the Prime Minister had mentioned three competitions in ‘Mann Ki Baat’. These competitions were ‘Geet’ – Patriotic Songs, ‘Lullabies’ and ‘Rangoli’. Modi said more than five lakh people from more than 700 districts across the country participated in this enthusiastically. Children, adults and the elderly enthusiastically participated, and entries have been sent in more than 20 languages. Modi also remembered legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who had urged the countrymen to join in the competitions. Prime Minister also spoke about the ‘Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar’ which were conferred recently. These awards were given away to emerging, talented artists in the field of music and performing arts. The Prime Minister said the awardees also include artists who have breathed new life into instruments whose popularity was decreasing with time. The Prime Minister wished everyone a Happy Holi. He reminded listeners to celebrate the festival with the resolve of ‘Vocal for Local’.