Calling upon the people to take pride in the achievements of the nation, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday declared that India will be at the top of the world when it celebrates the centenary year of independence in 2047.

He was inaugurating the day-long ‘Mann Ki Baat@100’ conclave organised by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry to celebrate the 100th edition of the monthly radio address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Noting that ”Mann Ki Baat” reached every nook and corner of the country and was unparalleled in reach and popularity, he also hailed the programme for giving recognition and brand value to the local art and artisans, and for generating a market space for them.

The vice-president observed that ”Mann Ki Baat” gave a huge impetus to flagship initiatives of the government such as Swachh Bharat and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and turned them into mass movements. He added that the PM’s addresses on the show were a ‘beacon of positivity’ to the nation during the Covid pandemic.

Calling the 100th episode of the programme (scheduled to be aired on 30 April) a historic milestone, Dhankhar lauded it for serving as an effective platform to popularise and bring to the mainstream the culture and festivals of the Northeast and other states. ‘‘Mann Ki Baat, as a matter of fact, is a reflection of our sense of our civilisational ethos,” he observed.

Emphasising that one must ‘always keep nation first’, he said that India’s growth story was also underscored by ‘Nari Shakti’ exemplified in the election of a tribal woman as the President of India. He also noted various welfare initiatives such as the Direct Benefit Transfer, PM Ujjwala Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and others were indicative of the paradigm change in the socio-economic situation in the country.

During the event, Dhankar released a coffee table book ‘My Dear Fellow Citizens…’ which gives glimpses of over 100 inspiring stories, mentioned by PM Modi in the radio programme. He also released a book “Collective Spirit, Concrete Action”, authored by Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO, Prasar Bharati, which describes the impact of the programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on the nation.

I & B Minister Anurag Singh Thakur and eminent personalities such as Kiran Bedi, Aamir Khan, Raveena Tandon, Ricky Kej, and Nikhat Zareen were among those present at the function.