File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Image: Northeast Now
File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked Indians to be self-reliant as he cited the example of an Assamese entrepreneur who dreams highly of developing his business of bamboo products.

โ€œSudeep from Assam has written to me that he trades in local bamboo products crafted by women,โ€ the Prime Minister said in his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat.

Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!

โ€œHe has decided that in the next two years, he will transform his bamboo products into a global brand,โ€ the Prime Minister added.

PM Modi also urged people to buy local products and expressed his hope that the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign will take the country to greater heights.

โ€œHad our villages, towns, districts and states been self-reliant, problems facing us would not have been of such a magnitude as is evident today. But moving from darkness toward light is a human trait,โ€ Modi said.

Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!

โ€œAmidst multiple challenges, it gives me the joy to see extensive deliberation in the country on Aatmnirbhar Bharat, a self-reliant India,โ€ he added.

He also urged the people to become โ€˜seriousโ€™ in the fight against coronavirus.

โ€œWe must not let this fight weaken. Becoming careless or lackadaisical cannot be an option. The fight against Corona is still equally serious!โ€ he added.

Modi also claimed that India had been able to control coronavirus to a large extent as compared to other countries.

โ€œOur population itself is many times that of most countries,โ€ he said.

The challenges facing the country too are of a different kind, yet Corona did not spread as fast as it did in other countries of the world. The mortality rate of the corona is a lot less in our country,โ€ he added.

He also said that the spirit of service is the biggest strength of the Indians.

โ€œIn fact, during this pandemic, we, the people of India have visibly proved that the notion of service and sacrifice is not just our ideal, it is a way of life in India,โ€ he added.

He also said that all classes of people have suffered during the pandemic but it is the poor and the migrant labourers who have suffered the worst.

โ€œConsidering the migrant labourers, the need of the hour is devising a new solution โ€“ paradigmโ€ฆ.we are ceaselessly taking steps in that direction. For example, at places skill mapping of labourers is being carried out, at other places startups are engaged in doing the sameโ€ฆthe establishment of a migration commission is being deliberated upon,โ€  he added.