PM Modi calls for 100-day campaign to clean up water bodies, harvest rain water
New Delhi: Underlining the importance of collective responsibility towards water conservation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for a 100-day campaign to clean up all water bodies and prepare them for rain water harvesting before the monsoon season starts.
In his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' broadcast, Modi said water has been crucial for the development of humankind for centuries.
"We have to understand our collective responsibility towards water conservation," he said.
The prime minister also said that when people feel proud of indigenous products then Aatmanirbhar Bharat does not just remain an economic programme but becomes a national spirit.
Noting that monsoon will begin in many parts of the country by around May-June, the prime minister asked can there be a 100-day public campaign to clean up all nearby water bodies and prepare those for rain water conservation.
In this regard, the Union Jal Shakti Ministry is also launching "Catch the rain" campaign and its main theme is "catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls", he said.
"This is the best time to think about water conservation in the summer months ahead," Modi said.
He also said there is a need to make science more popular across the country and asserted that science cannot be limited to physics-chemistry and labs. Modi called for expanding science with a mantra of 'lab to land'.
During the broadcast, the prime minister also rued not being able to make enough efforts to learn the world's oldest language, Tamil.
"In run up to Mann Ki Baat, I was asked if there was something I missed out on during these long years as chief minister and prime minister. I feel -- it is a regret of sorts that I could not make enough efforts to learn the world's oldest language Tamil. Tamil literature is beautiful," Modi said. PTI ASK/BJ
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Youths, relying on Google Maps, drive vehicle into river in Kasaragod; rescued
Kasaragod: Two youths, who were on their way to a hospital using Google Maps to find their way, drove their car into a swollen river but had a miraculous escape as the vehicle got stuck to a tree in Kerala's northernmost Kasaragod district.
The visuals of Fire Force personnel pulling them to safety from the overflowing river in Pallanchi here the other day went viral on social media platforms on Sunday.
They could escape and contact the Fire Force personnel only because their vehicle, which was carried away by the water currents, got stuck in a tree.
The rescued youths said they were on their way to a hospital in neighbouring Karnataka in the wee hours the other day and were proceeding using Google Maps.
Abdul Rasheed, one of the youths, said Google Maps showed a narrow road and they drove their car through it.
"Using the vehicle's headlight, we felt that there was some water in front of us. But, we didn't see that there was a river on both sides and a bridge in the middle. There was also no sidewall for the bridge," he told a TV channel.
The car suddenly began to get carried away in the water currents but later got stuck in a tree on the shores of the river.
By this time, they managed to open the car door, come out of the vehicle and contacted the Fire Force personnel by sending them the location.
Later, Fire Force personnel rushed to the place and pulled out the two men to safety using ropes.
"We never thought that we could come back to life. We truly feel that it is a rebirth," Rasheed added.
Last month, a group of tourists from Hyderabad drove into a swollen stream near Kuruppanthara in Kottayam apparently after using Google Maps.
All four managed to escape unharmed due to the efforts of a nearby police patrol unit and local residents, but their vehicle was completely submerged.
Two #Kanhangad natives had a narrow escape on the #Pallanchi Forest road in #Kasaragod's #Kuttikol after their car fell into a river early morning on Thursday.
— Hate Detector 🔍 (@HateDetectors) June 27, 2024
The passengers M Abdul Rashid (35) and A Thashreef (36) said they met with the accident at 6 AM while heading towards a… pic.twitter.com/SMmJ58UBq3
