Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the countrymen to care for the environment, celebrate eco-friendly Ganesh Utsav and encouraged youth to revive the spirit to serve the nation.

In the 46th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann ki Baat, Modi also remembered freedom fighters Lokmanya Tilak and Chandra Shekhar Azad and appealed to citizens to follow their footsteps.

He also lauded athletes Hima Das , Ekta Bhyan and Yogesh Qathunia for their accomplishments despite adverse situations and conditions. “May you go further than these successes, keep on playing and keep on blooming,” Modi said.

SMARTGAON APP

Modi appreciated the joint efforts of two IT professionals from Rae Bareilly Yogesh Sahu and Rajneesh Bajpayee--who are now based in the US-- in developing a SmartGaon App by using their professional skills.

This app is not only connecting the villagers with the whole world , but now they can obtain any information on their own mobile phones.

"This app is bringing in a digital revolution in the village. With the help of this app, it has since become easier to record, track and monitor development work being done in the village,” Modi said.

This app contains phone directory, News section, events list, health centre and information centre of the village.

"It is very useful for the farmers and the grammar feature of the app and FACT rate among the farmers functions like a market place for their products,” he said.

Modi highlighted that it was the emotional attachment of these two professionals to their village that brought out the best in them in devising the app as they knew the village very well and the challenges faced by it.

Modi noted that a sense of belonging towards the village and towards one's roots and also a spirit to show and do something is naturally there in each and every Indian.

"But, sometimes because of time, sometimes because of distance and at times because of situations that spirit gets faded but just with a touch of a tiny spark, everything re-emerges which takes one back to old memories.

We should also check if such a thing has happened in our case too whether circumstances , situations, distances have made us alien, whether dust has gathered over our determinations. Do think," Modi said.

srivats.kr@thehindu.co.in

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