PM Modi Urges Citizens to Buy Local Goods in Mann Ki Baat Address Ahead of Festivals

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to prioritise goods made by local artisans during the upcoming festive season in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address on Thursday.

Grassroots Success

Calling the broadcast a pilgrimage to understand people's efforts, the Prime Minister highlighted grassroots innovations and the global expansion of indigenous goods. He spotlighted Punjab's Kheti Virasat Mission in the Malwa region for promoting traditional chemical-free cotton farming that produces naturally coloured cotton. The mission also set up a weaving school that changed the lives of women who previously worked as domestic help and field labourers, including one who wove a shawl presented to the President. International markets are increasingly accepting local Indian products, with Bihar's Purnia makhana reaching Greece and Karnataka's Kalaburagi arhar dal being exported to the Maldives. Sales of Khadi Gram Udyog products crossed 28 crore rupees in a single day this Gandhi Jayanti, marking a 1.5 crore rupee increase compared to the previous year.

Innovation And Environment

PM Modi commended sustainable initiatives like Shabari Natural, which sells honey, mahua, chironji, and bamboo-based products using traditional tribal art packaging and won Japan's Good Design Award. He also praised a community-led project in Uttarakhand's Tehri Garhwal region where residents revived the drying Heval river through rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharging, and tree planting. The government's e-Sanjeevani telemedicine platform completed 50 crore consultations, helping people with rapid diagnoses for fevers, infections, and delivery-related complications. During a recent visit to Chennai and IIT Madras, he saw cutting-edge youth innovations, including the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre's high-resolution digital 3D brain-imaging platform. He lauded startups creating gold verification platforms, fraud recovery systems, water-flying electric vehicles, drone batteries, and AI tools for cervical cancer diagnosis and defence technology. He also thanked organ donors and paid tribute to national icons like Narinder Singh Kapany, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maharishi Valmiki, and Bhai Parmanand Ji.

Context

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat is a regular monthly radio broadcast where he speaks directly to the nation on various social and developmental topics. The vocal for local campaign forms a core part of the broader national push toward economic self-reliance, commonly referred to as Atmanirbhar Bharat.