PM Modi a great orator, has magnetic charm: Actor Ranbir Kapoor
New Delhi, Jul 28: Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his oratory skills and "magnetic charm" but ruled out himself from taking the political plunge.
The "Animal" actor was in conversation with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath on his "People by WTF" podcast.
While he doesn't think much about politics, Ranbir said he remembers his first acquaintance with the prime minister back in 2019 when he and other industry colleagues, including now wife Alia Bhatt, "Sanju" co-star Vicky Kaushal and producer Karan Johar, met Modi in New Delhi.
"When I first went to meet our prime minister four-five years ago along with other young actors and directors... You see him on television, you see how he talks.
"He's a great orator. But I remember the moment when we were sitting and he walked in... He's got this magnetic charm about him," the actor said during the podcast which aired on Saturday.
Ranbir was part of the star-studded delegation in 2019 that met Modi and also included Ranveer Singh, Bhumi Pednekar, Ayushmann Khurrana, Sidharth Malhotra, Ekta Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Varun Dhawan, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, and Rohit Shetty.
At what was described as a "courtesy meeting", Ranveer had clicked a group selfie with the prime minister which soon went viral on social media.
Ranbir, whose late actor father Rishi Kapoor was undergoing treatment for leukaemia at the time, said the prime minister spoke to each member of the delegation about something "personal".
"My father was going through treatment at the time. He asked about how the treatment was going and all of that. He talked to Alia about something else, Vicky Kaushal about something, Karan Johar about something. Everything was very personal. You see that kind of effort in great men. He doesn't need to... That says a lot about that person," he said, adding superstar Shah Rukh Khan is one of such "achievers".
Would he like to join politics?
"Politics? No. I think I like the world of being an artist, creation," Ranbir said, adding he doesn't have the skill set to be a politician.
The actor said he wants to direct movies and would like "to die trying creating things".
"I know I'm not cut out to be a producer. I tried producing one film called 'Jagga Jasoos' which didn't do well at the box office at all. But I realised it's a skill set I don't have.
"It's easy to say 'You can join politics or any other profession', because you are kind of successful in the field that you are in. But everything requires a skill set. I'm not a people person. In politics, you have to be a people person, I'm not that," he added.
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Centre launches national childhood diabetes screening, treatment framework
New Delhi (PTI): The Union Health Ministry on Sunday released a guidance document providing a framework for screening, diagnosis, treatment and long-term management of childhood diabetes.
According to the ministry, the document, for the first time, establishes a structured and standardised national framework, positioning India among a select group of countries that have integrated childhood diabetes care into the public health system.
The "Guidance Document on Diabetes Mellitus in Children" was released at the National Summit on Best Practices in Public Healthcare Service Delivery, concluded on May 1-2.
According to a statement by the ministry, the framework aims to ensure universal screening of all children from birth to 18 years through community and school-based platforms for early identification of diabetes.
Suspected cases will undergo immediate blood glucose testing and be referred to district-level health facilities for confirmatory diagnosis and treatment, it said.
A key feature of the initiative is the provision of a comprehensive free-of-cost care package at public health facilities, including screening, diagnostic services, lifelong insulin therapy, glucometers, test strips and regular follow-up care.
The initiative seeks to reduce the financial burden on families and ensure uninterrupted treatment for children diagnosed with diabetes.
The document also lays down an integrated continuum of care linking community-level screening with district hospital-based management and advanced care at medical colleges to ensure seamless follow-up and treatment.
To strengthen early detection, the guidance promotes the "4Ts" awareness framework -- Toilet, Thirsty, Tired and Thinner -- to help parents, teachers and caregivers recognise early warning signs of type 1 Diabetes.
Besides clinical protocols, the document focuses on family and caregiver empowerment through structured training on insulin administration, blood glucose monitoring, emergency response and daily disease management.
The statement stated the initiative is expected to reduce mortality through early detection, prevent complications and improve the quality of life of affected children while strengthening the public health system's capacity to manage non-communicable diseases among children.
