PM Narendra Modi addresses last Mann Ki Baat of the year, extends 2021 greetings

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (December 27) addressed the nation through his monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat shortly. This is the 72nd edition of the Prime Minister's monthly radio program.

PTI Photo

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (December 27) addressed the nation through his monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat. This was the 72nd edition of the Prime Minister's monthly radio program.

Here are the excerpts from his speech:

— Due to coronavirus, the supply chains got disrupted the world over but we learnt new lessons from each crisis. The nation also developed new capabilities. We can call this capability 'Aatmanirbharata' or self-reliance: PM Modi during Mann Ki Baat

— PM Modi says Janata Curfew was appreciated by all. 

— In most of the letters, people praised the country's strength, the collective power of the countrymen. When the innovative experiment, such as the Janata curfew, became an inspiration for the whole world, when the country showed respect to our Coronavirus Warriors by clapping, the solidarity was shown by many: PM Modi

— Common man felt and accepted the changes in the honour of the country. A wonderful flow of hope in the country was seen during this time. There were many challenges, many problems also came during this period. The coronavirus pandemic also brought many obstacles in the world regarding the supply chain, but we learned new lessons from every crisis.

— PM Narendra Modi urges Manufacturers and industry leaders of the country to ensure that the country-made products are world-class. "The people of the country have taken strong steps. #Vocal4Local is buzzing.

— On this day, Guru Gobind's sons Sahibzade Jorawar Singh and Fateh Singh were entombed alive within the wall of bricks. The attackers wanted Sahibzade to give up his faith and leave behind the teachings of the great Guru tradition. But, even at such a young age, our Sahibzadas showed great courage and will.

— On this day, Guru Gobind Singh's mother Gujri was also martyred. People still remember the martyrdom given by the Shri Guru Govind Singh ji and his family members. This martyrdom gave new learning to the entire humanity and the country.

— Between 2014 and 2018, the number of leopards in India has increased by more than 60 per cent. In most states of the country, especially in central India, the number of leopards has increased. Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra have topped the list of states with the largest population of leopards.

— In the last few years, the population of lions in India has witnessed an increase. Apart from the number of tigers, the Indian forest area has also increased. The reason for this is that not only the government but several people, civil society and institutions have also involved themselves in the protection of our trees and wildlife.

— A young brigade from Karnataka rejuvenated an ancient Shiva temple - Veerabhadra Swamy near Srirangapatna. The brigade noticed the temple after a few tourists shares a video of this forgotten house of worship on social media. When the young brigade saw the video, they decided to renovate it.

— All the youth of the brigade were associated with different professions. So they decided to take time off during weekends and worked for the temple. The youth also installed a power connection along with installing doors at the temple.

— The Gita inspires us in every context of our lives. But have you ever thought, why is Geeta such a wonderful book? That is because it is the voice of Lord Krishna himself. But the uniqueness of the Gita is that it starts with the curiosity to know. Starts with the question. Like the Gita, all the knowledge in our culture starts with curiosity. The first mantra of Vedanta is - 'That is Brahma curiosity', that is, let us inquire of Brahm.

— You will be surprised to know that Anudeep and Minusha, a young couple from Karnataka, cleaned more than 800 kg of waste from the Someshwar beach.

— Pradeep Sangwan of Gurugram has been running a campaign 'Healing Himalayas' since 2016. He along with his team and volunteers go to different areas of the Himalayas, and clean the plastic waste that tourists leave behind. 

— We must take a pledge that we will not throw garbage irresponsibly. We have to free the country from single use plastic. This should also be one of the resolutions of 2021.