PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat - May 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today adressed the nation in his Mann Ki Baat programme via Radio. The 65th episode was aired today on 31st May 2020.

Incidentally, this edition of Mann Ki Baat came after one day of the completion of one year of Modi Government 2.0 .

The last time I spoke to you through 'Mann Ki Baat', passenger train services, buses and flights had come to a standstill. This time around much has resumed-Shramik special trains are operational; other special trains too have begun: PM Modi

PM stated that the Battle against Corona is being fiercely waged in country through collective efforts. When we glance at the world, we can actually experience magnitude of the achievements of people of India. Our population itself is many times that of most countries. The challenges facing the country too are of a different kind, yet Corona did not spread as fast as it did in other countries of the world.

One more thing that has touched my heart is innovation at this moment of crisis. A multitude of countrymen from villages and cities, from small scale traders to start ups,our labs are devising even new ways of fighting against Corona; with novel innovations: PM Modi

Meanwhile teachers and students have come together with myriad innovations in the field of education. Online classes, video classes are being innovated in different ways. Path of our fight against Corona goes a long way. It is a calamity, a scourge that does not have an antidote in the entire world; there is no prior experience on that. Amid this scenario, we are facing newer challenges and consequent hardships.

PM said that India is opening up slowly and returning to normal amidst the coronavirus outbreak. Addressing the country in his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi, however, said that people should be extra vigilant. He said that passenger train services, buses and flights have resumed and Shramik Special trains are operational to ferry migrants back. Our railway personnel are at it day and night. From the centre, states, to local governance bodies, everybody is toiling around the clock. The way our railway men are relentlessly engaged, they too are front line Corona Warriors. Safely transporting lakhs of labourers in trains and buses, caring for their food, arranging for their quarantine in every district, testing, check up and treatment is an ongoing process on a very large scale. Considering the migrant labourers, the need of the hour is devising a new solution - paradigm….we are ceaselessly taking steps in that direction. Establishment of a migration commission is being deliberated upon. The current scenario that we are witnessing is an eye opener to happenings in the past to the country; it is also an opportunity for scrutiny and lessons for the future. Today, distress our workforce is undergoing is representative of that of country’s eastern region. He said that no section in the country is untouched by the coronavirus-induced crisis and acknowledged that migrants, poor people and labourers are the worst impacted by the outbreak. “Their pain, their agony, and their ordeal can’t be expressed in words,” PM Modi said, adding that the Center and state governments are making efforts to provide relief and employment to migrant labourers.

PM Modi also talked about Yog, "I firmly believe that the Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign will take the country to greater heights in this decade. Most people will be familiar with 'Kapalbhati' and 'Anulom-Vilom Pranayam'. But there are many other forms of Pranayamas like 'Bhastrika', 'Sheetali', 'Bhramari' etc, which also have many benefits."

By the way, the Ministry of AYUSH has also done a unique experiment this time to increase the practice of yoga in your life. I request all of you too participate in this competition, and through this novel way, be a part of the International Yoga Day also: PM Modi

PM Modi praised the countrymen by saying that  "India's fight against COVID-19 is people-driven and country's 'Seva Shakti' is visible." 

The key points of today's Mann Ki Baat address :-

• In India, the fight against Coronavirus is "People Driven". When the entire world is fighting this pandemic, our India's people driven approach will hold a centrestage.
• We are in the midst of a "Yuddh". Every Indian is a soldier in this fight and we are all in this together!
• Our hardworking farmers ensure no one is hungry.
• Everyone is fighting this crisis in their own capacity. Some are donating their entire pension, reward money to PM CARES FUND, farmers are donating their entire vegetable produce, some people are making face-masks while others are painting schools following their quarantine.
• We all can become "Corona Warriors" and fight with Corona as one.!
• To help the poor and vulnerable are among the topmost priorities.
• Be it Business, Office culture, Education, Medical Sector..... everyone is adapting to the new changes in the post-COVID world. 
• Arranging rations, food for the underprivileged, proper arrangements in the hospitals, ensuring Lockdown, the manufacturing of medical equipments indigenously... the entire country is marching ahed together in the same direction, towards a single common objective.
• India took a few decisions, which were guided by our ethos.
• We have created a digital platform 'covidwarriors.org' -volunteers of Social Organisations, Civil Society and Local Administrations are connected through this platform. Over 1.25crore people have joined so far including Doctors, Nurses, NCC Cadets, etc. You can also be a Corona Warrior!
• Today, when World Leaders tell me - Thank You India, Thank You people of India, I feel very proud. India is caring for its own citizens and India is also contributing for creating a healthier planet!
• Do whatever you can to improve your immunity! Keep in mind that our traditional systems offer great great methods to do so. Let us make these systems popular and them share them in a language in which the world understands.
• Among the post-covid changes, the awareness on the need to wear facemasks is one! A mask is something we will have to keep wearing in the times to come. It does not mean that the person wearing a mask is unhealthy, but it is just a wise precaution.
• We in India always knew that spitting in public is wrong. Yet, it continued in places. Now is the best time to ensure we do not spit. This will increase basic hygiene and strengthen the fight against COVID-19.
• I commend State Governments for their proactive role in dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• We all celebrate festivals Akshay Tritiya but this year bears a special significance. This day reminds us that no matter how many disasters are wreaked upon us and how many contagions have to be faced - the Human spirit of battling them is inexhaustible.
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About the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme :-

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi addresses the nation every month on All India Radio. Having officially started from 3 October 2014, the programme aims to deliver the Prime Minister's voice and ideas to the general masses of India. Since television connection is still not available everywhere in India, especially in the isolated, rural and less developed regions, radio was chosen to be the medium for the programme, owing to its wider reach. An estimated 90% of the total Indian population is reachable over the medium.

Doordarshan's Direct to Home (DTH) service free dish relays feeds of the 20-minute-long episodes, to television and radio channels

The first Mann Ki Baat programme was broadcast on the occasion of Vijayadashami on 3rd October 2014 followed by the second broadcast on 2 November 2014.

The programme has been well received by the target audience, especially the urban masses residing in metropolitan cities across the country. A survey in 2014 conducted on the lines of estimating the show's success, in 6 Indian cities including Mumbai & Chennai, has indicated that some 66.7% of the population had tuned in to listen to the Prime Minister's address and had found it useful.

Mann Ki Baat became a major source of revenue for the All India Radio. In 2015, the usual ad slots on AIR sold for Rs.500 (US$7.00) - Rs.1,500 (US$21) per 10 seconds, but a 10-second ad slot for Mann Ki Baat cost Rs.2 lakh (US$2,800).