New Delhi, 26 April (H.S.):

In the 133rd episode of his monthly radio broadcast, Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, celebrating his multi-faceted genius, literary contributions, and visionary leadership. Ahead of Tagore's upcoming birth anniversary on May 9, the Prime Minister reflected on his own memorable visits to Shantiniketan, emphasizing Tagore’s role in shaping significant national institutions.

The Prime Minister underscored major strides in India's energy sector, specifically highlighting the achievement of criticality at the indigenous Fast Breeder Reactor in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. He described this milestone as a testament to India's burgeoning scientific self-reliance.

Furthermore, he noted that India has successfully expanded its wind energy capacity by 6 gigawatts over the past year, bringing the total national capacity to 56 gigawatts.

Addressing ongoing national initiatives, the Prime Minister called for active public participation in the census process, noting that the listing of over 12 million houses has already been completed. He also highlighted the digitization efforts by the National Archives of India, which has made 200 million documents publicly accessible online.

Additionally, he shared that musical compositions from the Beating the Retreat ceremony are now available on the Waves OTT platform.

Broadening his scope to global and environmental themes, the Prime Minister cited the growing relevance of Lord Buddha's teachings in countries like Chile. He also lauded national progress in wildlife conservation, specifically noting positive trends in protecting species such as the blackbuck and the Great Indian Bustard.

The Prime Minister praised the shift in forest policies regarding bamboo, noting its positive socio-economic impact on communities in the Northeast, and celebrated the Indian team’s sixth-place performance at the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad.

Finally, he observed the rising

global demand for Indian dairy products, particularly paneer, noting that authentic Indian flavors are increasingly reaching international markets.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar