PM’s address in the 17th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat 2.0’ (PART-5)
My dear countrymen, (We laud the hardworking people of Pulwama for their efforts)
Today, Pulwama in Kashmir is playing an important role in educating the entire country. Today, when children all over the nation do their homework, or prepare notes, somewhere behind this lies the hard work of the people of Pulwama! The Kashmir Valley meets almost 90% demand for the Pencil Slats, timber casings of the entire country, and of that, a very large share comes from Pulwama. Once upon a time we used to import wood for pencils from abroad, but, now our Pulwama is making the country self-sufficient in the field of pencil making. In fact, these Pencil Slats of Pulwama are reducing the gaps between states! Chinar wood of the valley has high moisture content and softness, which makes it most suitable for the manufacture of pencils. In Pulwama, Oukhoo is known as the Pencil Village. Here, several manufacturing units of Pencil Slats are located, which provide employment, and, in these units, a large number of women are employed.
Friends,
Pulwama gained this recognition when individuals of this place decided to do something new, took risks and dedicated themselves towards it. One such enterprising person is Manzoor Ahmad Alai. Earlier, Manzoor bhai was a simple workman involved in woodcutting. Manzoor bhai wanted to do something new so that his coming generations wouldn’t have to live in poverty. He sold his ancestral land and established a unit to manufacture Apple wooden boxes. He was engaged in his small business when he came to know that Poplar wood , Chinar wood is being used in manufacturing pencils. After getting this information, Manzoor bhai channeled his entrepreneurial spirit and started the supply of Poplar wooden boxes to some famous pencil manufacturing units. Manzoor Ji found this to be extremely profitable and his income grew considerably at the same time. With the passage of time, he bought pencil slat manufacturing machinery and started the supply of pencil slats to some of the biggest companies of the country. Today, Manzoor bhai’s turnover from this business is in crores and is a source of livelihood for around two hundred people. Today, through Mann Ki Baat, I, on behalf of all countrymen commend Manzoor bhai and the enterprising brothers and sisters of Pulwama along with their families – All of you are making invaluable contribution in educating the young minds of our country.
My dear countrymen, (The innovative efforts of Indians continue! Here are instances from Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, of innovators in agriculture
During the lockdown, many instances of technology based service delivery were explored in the country and it is not that only the big technology and logistic companies are capable of the same. A self help group of women in Jharkhand have accomplished this feat. These women worked to deliver vegetables and fruits to households directly from the fields of the farmers.These women got an app ‘Ajivika Farm Fresh’ designed through which people could directly order vegetables to be delivered at their homes. Through this initiative, the farmers were ensured of a fair price for their produce and fresh vegetables were also available for the buyers. This idea of ‘Ajivika farm fresh’ app is gaining a lot of popularity there – fruits and vegetables worth more than 50 Lakhs were delivered by them during the lockdown. Friends, with emerging possibilities in the agriculture sector, more and more youth are now engaging themselves in this field. Atul Patidar of Barwani in Madhya Pradesh has connected four thousand farmers in his area through the digital medium. Through the E-platform farm card of Atul Patidar, farmers are now able to get the essentials of agriculture – such as fertilizer, seeds, pesticide, fungicide etc home delivered – the farmers get what they need at their doorstep. Modern agricultural equipment is also available for hire on this digital platform. Even during lockdown, thousands of packets containing seeds of cotton and vegetables were delivered to farmers through this digital platform. Atul ji and his team are working to impart technological knowhow to the farmers and also teaching them about online payment and procurement.
Friends,
Recently, one incident in Maharashtra caught my attention. There, one farmer producer company procured corn from the corn producing harvesters. This time, the company paid not just the cost of the corn but also an additional bonus with it. This was a pleasant surprise for the farmers. When the company was asked for the same, they said that under the new farm specific laws framed by Government of India, farmers are able to sell their produce in any part of the country and are getting good prices for the same. Thus, the company thought of sharing their extra profits with the farmers. The farmers had a right to it and hence the bonus was shared with them. Friends, the bonus amount may be small but this initiative is big. Through this, we come to know that on ground, the new agriculture laws are full of possibilities in favour of the farmers.
My dear countrymen, (An inspiring effort from Maharashtra.)
In today’s Mann Ki Baat, I have had the opportunity to bring forth extraordinary stories of my countrymen, the country and the facets of our traditions. Our country is full of talented people. If you too know of any such individual, speak and write about them and share their accomplishments. My best wishes to you and your family for the forthcoming festivals. However, do remember and more so during the festivals – wear your masks, keep washing your hands with soap and maintain two yards of social distance. Friends, we will speak again in next month’s Mann Ki Baat.
Many Many thanks.
SOURCE NAME - PMINDIA
ON. 30.OCT.2020
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