Raipur, 1 November (H.S.): Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his visit to Chhattisgarh on Saturday by meeting with children who have undergone successful heart surgery at the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital in Nawa Raipur. The Prime Minister arrived ahead of schedule at Raipur's Swami Vivekananda Airport to participate in the state's Silver Jubilee Foundation Day celebrations.

Upon landing at 9:22 AM, PM Modi was greeted by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and his cabinet members. He then traveled directly to the hospital, where he had a heartfelt conversation with young patients, inquiring about their well-being.

Children and their families had gathered from several states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, and Maharashtra, to meet him.

During the interaction, Prime Minister Modi asked the children about their future aspirations. A young girl from the Korba district shared that she wants to become a doctor to save other children's lives, just as hers was saved.Deeply impressed by the hospital's work, PM Modi announced that a similar facility would be constructed in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He also lauded the Sathya Sai organization for its work in water conservation and delivered a message on the importance of preserving water resources.

The Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital has been providing life-saving pediatric cardiac care completely free of charge for the past 13 years. It has performed over 20,000 successful heart surgeries and handled more than 150,000 outpatient consultations, serving children from across India and abroad.

After arriving in Raipur, the Prime Minister also took the time to inquire about the health of two of the state's most eminent cultural figures. He telephoned Jnanpith award-winning writer Vinod Kumar Shukla and spoke with the family of celebrated Pandavani folk singer and Padma Vibhushan recipient Teejan Bai to ask about their health and well-being.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar