Narendra Modi calls for Fit India

New Delhi: Addressing the nation in his 42nd Mann ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocated for a "Fit India" movement, encouraging youngsters to participate in it.

42ND MANN KI BAAT HIGHLIGHTS

• Modi wishes people on the eve of Srirama Navami
• Ramayan inspires not only Indians but entire ASEAN region
• To give ryots, at least 1.5 times input cost as MSP
• Let us diffuse awareness about Yoga. Let us all practice yoga
• The Prime Minister began his radio address on Sunday saying he had received many letters, emails, phone calls from people across India to speak on certain subjects, including healthcare. He spoke on 'Fit India’ calling upon all young people to come together to launch a movement of 'Fit India'".

Modi said a healthy India is as vital as a clean India. "In case of health, the country has moved past conventional approaches and surged ahead. Earlier, health was looked after only by the Health ministry but today all government arms are working towards creating a 'Healthy India'.

Along with the emphasis on preventive healthcare, affordable healthcare is also being promoted," Modi said. He urged the people to be more conscious about preventive healthcare because prevention was not only beneficial for a person but also for his or her family and society.

Modi said the government has set a target to free India from tuberculosis by 2025 and that the government and insurance companies will jointly provide Rs 5 lakh insurance cover to about 10 crore families per year.

"Under 'Ayushman Bharat Yojana', the Indian government and insurance companies will jointly provide Rs 5 lakh for treatment to about 10 crore families or say 50 crore citizens per year," he said.

Farmers' concerns and MSP

The Prime Minister also addressed farmers' concerns and said the latest Union Budget declared the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to be at least one and half times of the input expenditure. “In this year’s Budget, a big decision has been taken to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their produce.

“It has been decided that the MSP of notified crops will be fixed at least one and a half times of their cost," Modi said. He also recalled Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shashtri, Ram Manohar Lohia, Chaudhary Charan Singh and Chaudhary Devi Lal and said they too spoke about the importance of agriculture and welfare of farmers. Modi also said that the world's outlook on India has changed immensely.

Hails Ambedkar
Modi also mentioned Babasaheb Ambedkar and said India is grateful to him for his vision for irrigation, port development. He lamented that many people mocked Bhimrao Ambedkar and made efforts to ensure that the son of a backward family does not progress but noted that today's 'new India' is altogether different as it belongs to the poor and the backward.

He lauded Ambedkar's sense of self-reliance and said that the government takes inspiration from him. "He never wanted a person to lead a life in poverty. He also believed that their poverty isn't removed with charity. Today, Mudra Yojana, Start-Up India initiatives are producing youth innovators and entrepreneurs in the country," Modi said.

Speaking of Foreign Direct Investment, Modi said that India was a bright spot in the world's firmament. "Today, India receives the most amount of foreign direct investment in the world. The entire world looks at India as a hub for innovation and development," he said.