Mann Ki Baat 139th Episode: Modi Cites Heval River Revival in Tehri

Villagers in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district who worked with the local administration to bring the shrinking Heval river back to life were the lead example in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 139th Mann Ki Baat radio address, broadcast at 11 am on Sunday, 25 October. The episode also marked 12 years of the monthly programme, which began on Vijayadashami in 2014, and carried a health ministry figure of about 50 crore teleconsultations on the eSanjeevani service.

Rainwater Pits and Saplings Along the Heval

The Heval had lost water and the springs around it were drying up, Modi said. Residents and officials collected rainwater, recharged groundwater and planted saplings on a large scale. “Today, through this effort, the Heval River has got a new lease of life,” he said, adding that dozens of natural water sources had also been restored. He did not give figures for the number of springs or the change in flow.

He also cited the Nav-Trinjan project of Kheti Virasat Mission in Punjab’s Malwa region, which grows chemical-free and naturally coloured cotton and runs a weaving school for women, and millet growers in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills and West Garo Hills and Kezoma village near Kohima.

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eSanjeevani Figure Was Announced Earlier in October

The 50 crore consultations mark was first announced by the health ministry on 6 October. The ministry then said the platform handles 2.5 to 3 lakh consultations a day, with women accounting for over 57% of use, and runs through more than 1.42 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandir spokes. Modi on Sunday referred to nearly 1.9 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in all, which suggests not every centre is yet linked to the telemedicine network. He also mentioned the 3D brain-mapping work at IIT Madras’s Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre.

Run for Unity and Kapany Centenary on 31 October

Modi asked people to join the Run for Unity on 31 October, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary, and recalled Punjab-born physicist Narinder Singh Kapany, whose birth centenary falls the same day. He urged listeners to buy locally made goods for Diwali and Chhath. More on Daily Updates.

Source: Mann Ki Baat, PM’s official website and All India Radio on the eSanjeevani milestone. Also based on reporting by Telangana Today / IANS, UNI and ANI.

Image: Telangana Today.