PM shares “Mann Ki Baat  -; with citizens through All India Radio

PM: Recovery of black money from abroad is an article of faith, and a commitment for me – we are on the right track. Swachhta Abhiyaan is becoming a mass movement – I foresee good results. Happy that people from all walks of life have begun to express willingness to take responsibility for social issues when they meet me. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has said that recovery of black money from abroad is an article of faith, and a commitment for him. Sharing his thoughts with citizens on the programme “Mann Ki Baat” over All India Radio for the second time today, the Prime Minister said that though he was sure that countrymen trusted him on the matter of black money, still he wished to repeat his aim that whatever money had illegally gone abroad from India should return. He said it was natural in a democracy that there could be different views about how to approach this issue, but he wished to assure the people on the basis of the information currently with him, that the Government was on the right track. The Prime Minister said no one could have imagined that the Swachhta Abhiyaan would become such a mass movement. He said good results are already visible. He said there are two aspects of this matter. The first is how the existing dirt can be removed. But the second, equally important aspect is how people are now enthused to say that henceforth, they will not do anything that spreads dirt. The Prime Minister said children too are now aware about cleanliness. Shri Narendra Modi expressed satisfaction that people from all walks of life who come to meet him – these include Government officers, sports persons, cine-stars, businessmen, scientists etc – talk about taking responsibility for social issues. The Prime Minister said he sees this as a big change. The Prime Minister praised the officers of the Ministry of Human Resource Development for coming up with two innovative schemes for specially-abled children. The first is: one thousand scholarships for specially-abled children to pursue technical education. The second is: a grant of one lakh rupees each to all Kendriya Vidyalayas and all Central Universities for creating appropriate infrastructure for the specially abled. The Prime Minister also expressed happiness that sales of Khadi had more than doubled since his last radio address, when he had suggested to people to keep one khadi garment at home. The Prime Minister referred to his visit and interaction with soldiers at Siachen on Diwali day. He said he went there because we could celebrate Diwali only because of them. He congratulated the armymen who had recently won the Cambrian Patrol event in Britain, where armies from 140 countries had participated. The Prime Minister invited suggestions from people on how to tackle the menace of drug abuse among the younger generation. He said he would talk about this subject in his next radio address. Shri Narendra Modi stated that an active citizen is the biggest strength of development. In order to enable people without access to internet to communicate with him, the Prime Minister has invited people to write to him at:- Mann Ki Baat Akashvani Sansad Marg New Delhi