New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Naari Shakti and organ donors in the 99th edition of his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ program on Sunday, while calling upon the people of the country to share their thoughts and vision for 100th edition of Mann Ki Baat program.

“In this era of modern medical science, organ donation has become a very important means of imparting life to someone. It is said that when a person donates one’s body after death, it creates a possibility for eight to nine people to get a new life,” he said.

“It is a matter of satisfaction that today awareness about organ donation is also rising in the country. In 2013, there were less than five thousand cases of organ donation in our country; but in 2022 this number has increased to more than fifteen thousand. People who have done organ donation, their families, have actually accomplished a lot of Punya,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi also spoke to Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and his wife Supreet Kaur, currently living in Amritsar, Punjab, who donated the organ of their 39 days old daughter Ababat Kaur. “The connotation of Ababat is related to the service of others. It is related to ameliorating the sufferings of others,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi also spoke to Abhijit Chowdhary, son of Snehlata Chaudhary, a resident of Seraikela in Jharkhand, who gave life to others as the almighty would! Snehlata Chowdhary, 63, donated her heart, kidney and liver. Snehlata suffered severe head injury when she was hit by a motorcycle during her morning walk.

The Prime Minister said: “In our country today there are a large number of needy people who are waiting for an organ donor in the hope of a healthy life. It is a matter of utmost satisfaction for me that in order to make organ donation easy and to encourage it, work is being done on a uniform policy in the whole country.”

In this direction, it has also been decided to remove the condition of domicile of the states, that is, now the patient will be able to go to any state of the country and register for receiving the organs. The government has also decided to abolish the age limit of below 65 years for organ donation. In the midst of these efforts, I urge the countrymen that organ donors should come forward in maximum numbers. One decision of yours can save the lives of many people, can give life,” he said.

Talking about Naari Shakti, Prime Minister Modi said: “You must have seen Asia’s first female loco pilot Surekha Yadav on social media. Surekha ji, setting another record, has also become the first woman loco pilot of Vande Bharat Express as well. This month, producer Guneet Monga and director Kartiki Gonsalves brought laurels to the country by winning an Oscar for their documentary The Elephant Whisperers.”

“Sister Jyotirmayi Mohanty, Scientist of Bhabha Atomic Research Center has also notched another achievement for the country. Jyotirmoyee has received a special award from IUPAC in the field of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Earlier this year, India's Under-19 women's cricket team created history by winning the T-20 World Cup. If you look at politics, a new beginning has taken place in Nagaland. In Nagaland, for the first time in 75 years, two women legislators have reached the Vidhan Sabha through their victory. One of them has also been made a minister in the Government of Nagaland, that is, for the first time the people of the state have also got a woman minister,” he said.

“Today, the daughters of the country are raising the flag of their bravery in all the three-armed forces. Group Captain Shalija Dhami has become the first woman Air Force officer to get a Command Appointment in a Combat Unit. She has a flying experience of about 3000 hours. Similarly, brave heart Captain Shiva Chauhan of the Indian Army has become the first woman officer to be posted at Siachen. Shiva will be stationed for three months in Siachen where the temperature drops to minus sixty (-60) degrees,” he said.

Talking about the importance of solar energy, he said that the spirit of ‘Sabka Prayas’ is taking India’s Solar Mission forward today. In Pune, Maharashtra, one such excellent effort has caught my attention. Here the people of MSR-Olive Housing Society have decided that they would now run things of common utility like drinking water, lift and lights in the society with solar energy only. After this everyone together in this society got solar panels installed. Today about 90-thousand-kilowatt hour electricity is being generated from these solar panels every year. This is resulting in saving of about Rs 40,000 every month, he said.

The Prime Minister said that like Pune, the people of Diu in Daman-Diu, which is a separate district, have also done a wonderful job. Diu has become the first district in India, which is using 100 per cent clean energy for all day time needs. The mantra of this success of Diu is also Sabka Prayas. Once upon a time, resources for power generation were a challenge. People chose solar energy as a solution to this challenge. Here solar panels were installed on barren land and many buildings, he said.

He said the auspicious festival of Shri Ram Navami is also going to be celebrated in the next few days. After this, Mahavir Jayanti, Good Friday and Easter will also be observed. In the month of April, we also celebrate the birth anniversaries of two great personalities of India. These are two great men – Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, and Babasaheb Ambedkar. Both these great men made unprecedented contributions to eradicate discrimination from society.

“Today, in ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal, we need to learn from such great personalities and take constant inspiration from them. We have to keep our duties at the forefront. Friends, at this time, cases of corona are also rising in some places. That is why, all of you must take precautions and be mindful of cleanliness. We will meet again next month in the 100th episode of Mann Ki Baat. Till then, I will take leave of you,” concluded Prime Minister Modi.