Congratulate people for their faith in Constitution, Indian democracy: PM Modi on ‘Mann Ki Baat’
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said people had reposed their unwavering faith in the Constitution and the democratic system of the country by their participation in the 2024 general elections.
The prime minister made the remarks in his Mann Ki Baat radio address, the first after the polls. The radio broadcast had taken a break in February ahead of the general elections.
"Today, I thank the countrymen for reposing their unwavering faith in our Constitution and the democratic system of the country," Modi said.
He said the 2024 election was the biggest in the world.
"Such a big election has never taken place in any country in the world. More than 65 crore people voted in the election," the prime minister said.
He congratulated the Election Commission and every person associated with the election process.
During the radio address, the prime minister spoke of initiatives such as 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' launched on the World Environment Day to plant trees.
"I am glad to see people inspiring others by sharing their pictures of their mothers," Modi said.
He also paid rich tributes to tribal freedom fighters Veer Sidhu and Kanhu, who led the Santhal uprising against British rule in 1855, much before the first war of independence in 1857.
The prime minister also cheered Indian athletes who will be competing in the Paris Olympics next month.
He noted that Indian athletes have participated in more than 900 international competitions.
The country expects its players to put up an excellent performance in the Paris Olympics, he said while urging the people to use 'cheer4Bharat' hashtag to motivate them.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
MP cruise boat tragedy: Search ops expanded to trace four missing passengers
Jabalpur (PTI): Army divers and disaster response teams on Saturday expanded their search at Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh to locate a man and three children still missing after the cruise boat tragedy that claimed nine lives two days ago, officials said.
With 28 of the 41 identified passengers onboard the ill-fated cruise boat rescued safely, police are preparing to register an FIR in connection with the accident that occurred at the reservoir in Jabalpur district on Thursday evening, they said.
The search radius has been expanded to 5 km in the backwaters of the Bargi Dam, located downstream of the Narmada River, area sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI.
Nine people drowned in the incident, while 28 were rescued, and efforts are ongoing to trace the missing persons, he said.
ALSO READ: Alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers, TMC files complaint with EC
According to the police, more than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, began the search operation at 5 am on Saturday to trace Kamraj, an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, his son Tamil (5), Vijay Soni (6) and Mayuram (5).
Mishra said that an inquest case has been registered and the post-mortem of nine deceased persons has been completed.
"Our priority is to search for the missing persons. We will soon register an FIR," he said.
Investigators have said that CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the ill-fated boat, and the names of 41 persons, who boarded the vessel, have been ascertained so far.
Collector Raghvendra Singh confirmed that a search is underway for four missing persons.
The rescue operation, being carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local divers, was briefly affected around 9 am due to strong winds.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the incident and dismissed three crew members after survivors alleged negligence and safety lapses, including failure to provide life jackets.
The government also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
The boat, operated by the state tourism department, sank during a sudden storm around 6 pm on Thursday, and the wreckage was retrieved from the dam water on Friday, after the rescuers confirmed that there were no more bodies inside.
Eyewitnesses have said that strong winds made the water choppy, prompting passengers to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the vessel towards the riverbank.
A survivor alleged negligence by the crew and described a last-minute scramble for life jackets.
