PM’s speech at the launch of National Animal Disease Control and Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programmes in Mathura

I pay homage to the holy soil of Brajbhoomi which is a witness to the birth of Lord Shri Krishna and Shri Radha ji . ‘Radhe-Radhe’ to all the Brajwasis who have come here! Once again ‘Radhe-Radhe’ to all my dear farmer and cattle herder brothers and sisters who have gathered here in large numbers! After the new mandate, I have had the privilege of coming to the city of Kanha for the first time. Once again, I and all my colleagues have received many blessings from Mathura and the entire Uttar Pradesh. I bow my head down to the land of Braj, thanking you for your cooperation and for making decisions in the interest of the country. We have shown unprecedented work in the last hundred days as per the wish of all of you. I am sure that your support and cooperation for the development of the country will continue to be with us. Friends, Brajbhoomi has always inspired the whole country, the world, the lives and the entire humanity. Today, the whole world is looking for role models in the world to protect the environment, to save trees and plants; but India always had a source of inspiration like Lord Shri Krishna whose reference is incomplete without environmental love. Just imagine, can Sri Krishna’s picture be complete without Kalindi which is known as Yamuna, Vaijayanti Mala, peacock feather, bamboo flute, the shade of Kadam tree and cow-herds grazing green grass? Can anyone imagine Bal-Gopal without milk, curd and butter? Friends, Just as our God is incomplete without nature, environment and livestock, similarly India too will seem incomplete without these. Environment and livestock have always been a very important part of India’s economic thinking. This is the reason why be it Swachh Bharat Mission, Jal Jeevan Mission, or encouraging agriculture and animal husbandry, we are moving towards a strong and New India by balancing nature and economic development. Brothers and sisters, Taking this idea forward, we have taken many big resolutions here today. And I believe that there can be no place in India better than Brajbhumi to start such a programme for the country’s crores of animals, for the environment and tourism. The ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Abhiyan’ has been launched a short while ago. The National Animal Disease Control programme has also been launched. Some other schemes related to animal health, nutrition and dairy industry have also been started. Besides this, the inauguration and foundation stone-laying ceremony of several projects related to infrastructure and tourism of Mathura have taken place today. Wish you all the best for these schemes and projects, and many congratulations. It is a matter of pleasure for me that today, in all the agricultural science centers of India, thousands of farmers of those regions have gathered and are witnessing this programme. A number of farmers and herders today are directly connected with Brajbhoomi through technology. I salute them. My best wishes to them too. Friends, a few days from now, our country will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. It is the responsibility of all the Indians to learn from Mahatma Gandhi’s insistence upon nature and cleanliness. And this will be the best possible way of paying homage to him. ‘Mahatma Gandhi 150’ is the year of inspiration. The same sentiment is attached to ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ as well. Starting today, this campaign has been dedicated exclusively to free the country from plastic waste. Brothers and sisters, The problem arising out of plastic is getting serious with time. You Brajwasis know very well how plastic is causing animal deaths. Similarly, it becomes difficult for the organisms and fishes living in rivers, lakes and ponds to survive after swallowing the plastic there. So now we have to get rid of the single-use plastic, a plastic that we throw away after using it once. We have to try to make our homes, our offices, our work places free of single-use plastic by 2nd October this year. I urge all Self-Help Groups, civil societies, social organizations, youth organizations, women’s circles, clubs, schools and colleges, government and private institutions, and individuals working in villages and across the country to join this campaign. We have to do this for the bright future of your children. The administration will take care of the plastic waste collected by you and then it will be recycled. The waste that cannot be recycled will be used in cement factories, or in road construction. Brothers and sisters, I had the opportunity to meet some women who segregate different types of plastic just a short while ago. Most of this plastic is recycled. This is also a source of income for those women. I believe that this kind of work needs to be done in every village. This idea of waste to wealth means we will protect our environment and make the environment around us clean. Friends, Apart from the Swachhta Hi Seva campaign, we also have to make some changes in our habits. I have told you about this from the ramparts of Red Fort too. Today I am raising this topic again. We have to decide that whenever we go to the shop, to the market, to get vegetables or for shopping, then we should carry our personal bags along with us. Be sure to carry a cloth or a jute bag. We must ensure that shoppers should make minimum use of plastic for packaging. I am also in favour of using metallic utensils or clay pots in government offices and government programmes instead of plastic bottles. Friends, When the environment is clean and there is no dirt around, then it has a direct and positive effect also on health. I would praise Yogi ji’s government for working very seriously on cleanliness and health. This is the result of the efforts of his government and the details of which have been given by Yogi Ji. When Yogi ji was the Member of the Parliament, in every session, he used to draw the attention of the country towards the painful ‘brain fever’. He used to try to awaken the country by telling painful stories. Thousands of children used to die. When Yogi ji’s government was formed, it was just a beginning, yet some vested interest groups had tried to blame the same Yogi ji for the ordeal who had fought against this disease for his entire life and had awakened the Parliament and the country about it. But Yogi ji was not deterred. He was not afraid. He didn’t let go of the matter for which he was continuously working for the last 30-40 years. I do not know whether the data you are seeing will catch the attention of the media or not. But the country must pay attention to the fact that we have lost thousands of our children to such a serious disease, the root cause of which is unhygienic conditions. Yogi ji’s government is moving ahead with a lot of success. I congratulate the citizens, families, institutions, governments and everyone associated with this sacred and humanitarian work of saving the lives of the children by stressing on cleanliness. I express my gratitude to them. Friends, Another topic related to environment and health is water scarcity and the remedy is Jal Jeevan Mission. Under this mission, emphasis is being laid on water conservation and water supply to every household. The people of our villages, the farmers and particularly our mothers and sisters will get the greatest benefit of the Jal Jeevan Mission. Reduced expenditure on water means, their savings will also increase. Friends, Animal husbandry and other businesses also play a major role in increasing the income of the farmers. Be it animal husbandry, fish farming, poultry or bee keeping, the investment made in these professions, brings more earnings. Over the last 5 years, we have moved forward with many new approaches on alternative options related to agriculture. All the necessary steps have been taken to improve the aspects ranging from quality and health of livestock to a variety of dairy products. To ensure the quality of milk-producing animals, National Gokul Mission was started first; and this year it has been decided to create Kamdhenu Commission for taking proper care of animals across the country. Consequently, the milk production has increased by about seven per cent in the last five years. Besides, an average increase of about 13 per cent has been registered in the income of farmers and cattle-keepers. And let me tell you my experience. Rwanda is a small country in Africa. I went there last year and some people had created hullabaloo saying Modi ji went to Rwanda and arranged a programme to present 250 cows; but the entire story was not brought before the country. A country like Rwanda in Africa is running a wonderful scheme there. The government of Rwanda gives cows to the people of villages and there is a rule that the government will take away the first calf of that cow and give it to those who do not have a cow. This whole chain keeps running and their effort is to ensure that every household in every village has a cow and the cow, animal husbandry and milk production become the backbone of Rwanda’s economy. They have planned this very well. And I also got a chance to visit a village of Rwanda. I got the opportunity to inaugurate this scheme and to witness how the entire network was created to earn a livelihood in the villages through animal husbandry, especially through cow’s milk. I have seen it myself. But our country is unfortunate as some people become frightened when they hear the word ‘Om’ or ‘cow’ and they think that the country has been driven back into the sixteenth-seventeenth century. Such knowledge and such people have left no stone unturned to ruin the country. And so livestock is a very valuable thing in our Indian rural economy. Can anyone imagine the economy without livestock? Can a village or a family in a village imagine their lives without livestock? But some people get shocked by hearing certain words. Friends, The seriousness of the government regarding livestock can be gauged from the fact that one of the major decisions taken in the hundred days after the formation of the government is related to the vaccination of animals. The National Veterinary Control Program and the Artificial Insemination Program have been launched to expand this campaign. Friends, You all know very well that the livestock falling sick comes as a major shock. Today, a major campaign of Rs. 13 thousand crores has been started with the objective to ensure that our animals do not fall ill again and again, so that farmers do not have to spend unnecessarily on their treatment. We are starting a comprehensive campaign to free the animals from this disease called FMD, i.e. Foot and Mouth Disease. In some areas of Uttar Pradesh, the term used for FMD, i.e. Foot and Mouth Disease is ‘Muh-paka’. This is the campaign to get rid of this disease. And you will be surprised that many countries of the world have campaigned in their countries and have freed the animals from this disease. Many small countries and poor countries have worked towards it. But unfortunately here so many governments have come and gone without working on this campaign. So we could not get results. If the poor, small countries of the world could get the animal out of trouble, then no animal on Sri Krishna’s land should live in such a condition. And to get rid of the diseases, 51 crore cows, buffalo, sheep goats and pigs will be vaccinated twice a year. Moreover, the animals that will be vaccinated will be tagged in the ears and will be given a unique ID called ‘Pashu Aadhaar’. Health cards will also be issued to the animals. Brothers and sisters, The objective of these programmes is very clear; that is, our livestock should be healthy and nourished. Besides, new and the best quality animal breeds should also be developed. By following this path, the income of our animal-keepers will also increase. Our children will also have access to a fair share of milk and India will also be recognized as the world’s largest milk producer. Brothers and sisters, To expand India’s dairy sector, we need innovation and new technology. These innovations should also involve our rural society. So, today as I am starting the Startup Grand Challenge, I especially invite the youth, the promising youngsters of the country who work on Startup in Bangalore, Hyderabad and also the bright students of IIT, to come forward and join the Startup Grand Challenge. We have to find the solutions on how to arrange green fodder and how the cattle should get access to nutritious food. What could be the cheapest and the easiest alternative of plastic bags? Startups providing solutions to many such issues should be established and the Government of India is launching that challenge in front of you today. Come, come out with new ideas. The solutions to the problems of the country will come out of the soil of the same country; this is my belief. I assure my young friends that their ideas will be seriously considered. They will be taken forward and necessary investment arrangements will also be made. This will also create many new employment opportunities. Friends, This entire Braj region including Mathura is a place of spirituality and faith. There are immense possibilities of heritage tourism here. I am happy that Yogi ji’s government is actively working in this direction. Today in Mathura, Nandgaon, Govardhan and Barsana several projects related to beautification or connectivity were inaugurated and the foundation stones were laid. The facilities that will be built here will boost the tourism of not only UP but the whole country. The way tourism has been promoted in the last 5 years has brought a huge improvement in India’s ranking. A few days ago, global ranking of tourism was announced in which India reached number 34; while in 2013 India was ranked number 65. This improved ranking of India is also a witness to the fact that new employment opportunities have continued in this sector as well. Friends, This day of September 11 is special for another reason. A century ago, on this day, Swami Vivekananda had delivered his historic speech in Chicago. Through that speech, the whole world had understood the culture of India and our traditions more deeply. In his address, Swami Vivekananda had also put forward the vision of India for world peace. But look at the misfortune, on September 11, on 9/11, there was such a major terrorist attack in America that shook the world. Brothers and sisters, Today terrorism has become an ideology that is not limited to any border. It is a global problem. It has become a global faith, whose strong roots are flourishing in our neighbourhood. Today, the whole world needs to take resolution and strong action is needed against those who pursue this ideology and those who shelter and train terrorists. India is fully capable of meeting this challenge at its own level. We have also proved it and will further prove it. The recent decision to toughen the anti-terror law is also an attempt in this direction. Now the terrorists will not be able to hide their activities by renaming the organizations. Brothers and sisters, Whether the problem is of terror, of pollution or of disease, we have to defeat them together. Let us move ahead with determination and try to achieve the purpose for which we have gathered here today. Once again I congratulate you all for all the new development projects. My heartfelt gratitude to all of you! Say with me loudly and with both hands up … Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai! Bharat Mata ki Jai! Thanks a lot!