RSS 'banyan tree' of India’s immortal culture and modernisation: PM Modi
Nagpur (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as the "vatvruksh", or banyan tree, of India’s immortal culture and modernisation whose ideals and principles were to protect the national consciousness.
India today is surging ahead by discarding the "slave mentality" and symbols of slavery, Modi further said after laying the foundation stone of Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre, a new extension building of Madhav Netralaya Eye Institute & Research Centre in Nagpur.
''We discarded the penal code which was made with a slave mentality and implemented the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Our mantra of vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is one family) is reaching all corners of the globe,'' he said.
The RSS volunteers are working selflessly in various spheres in different parts of the country, the PM said.
"The Sangh is the ‘banyan tree’ of India’s immortal culture and modernisation," Modi said. ''This large vatvruksh is not an ordinary one," he said, adding the RSS is synonymous to service.
Madhav Netralaya was founded in 2014 in memory of late RSS chief Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar.
Modi described it as an institution serving the society for several decades on the ideals of Golwalkar, the second RSS chief.
The new project will end darkness in the people's lives and expedite the service, he said.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was present at the event.
Modi said the government’s policy is to ensure the best medical treatment to the poorest of the poor, Modi said.
There has been a three-fold increase in the number of operational All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) under his regime, he said.
“Our government is making efforts to provide more and better doctors to people,” the prime minister said.
Crores of people are getting free medical treatment due to the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Modi said.
Modi said the ''tapasya'' of RSS with its ''sanghathan'' and ''samarpan'' in the last 100 years is showing fruits as the country approaches its target of 'Viksit Bharat' in 2047.
The 1925-47 was a crisis period as the country was fighting for independence and now, after 100 years, the RSS is stepping into another milestone, he said.
''(The time span from) 2025 to 2047 is important because big goals are ahead of us. We have to lay the foundation stone of the next 1,000 years of a strong and developed India,'' Modi said.
He said the risk-taking capacity of the youth has increased, they are making new innovations in start-ups and are also proud of their own legacy.
Crores of youth visited the Maha Kumbh (held in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26 this year), they have made 'Make in India' (initiative) a success and have become '' vocal for local'', Modi said.
The youth are participating in nation-building -- from sports to space, the prime minister noted.
Modi also said India launched 'Operation Brahma' to help Myanmar battling damages due to a massive earthquake there recently, and added that COVID-19 vaccines were being provided to several countries.
The PM greeted people on Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, starting of Navratri and other festivals being celebrated across the country.
Modi said he also visited Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur and offered tributes to Dr BR Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, whose birth anniversary falls next month.
The nation is celebrating 75 years of the Constitution this year and the RSS is completing 100 years (of its formation), he noted.
Modi said the Madhav Netralaya was giving impetus to the health sector and the government's priority has been to provide better health infrastructure to all sections of the people.
''Senior citizens' welfare is the government's policy through the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The poor and the middle class are getting affordable medicines, and in the last 10 years, Ayushman Arogya mandirs have been providing daily medical consultation in rural areas. We have increased the number of medical colleges and the operational AIIMS have been increased three-fold,'' he said.
Underscoring the need for providing more and better doctors, Modi said his government had decided to impart medical education to students in their mother tongue so that those from the poor families can become doctors.
On the occasion, Bhagwat said the Madhav Netralaya worked hard for several years for people's welfare. It is inspired by the Sangh's ideology of selfless service, he said.
'' It doesn't look good that people are bereft of health facilities and hence, the RSS volunteers have selflessly worked to provide vision to the needy at the Madhav Netralaya,'' he said.
The RSS volunteers don't seek anything for themselves but work for others in the society, Bhagwat said.
Service is life's mission for the RSS, he added.
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Siraj, Buttler power Gujarat Titans to eight-wicket win over RCB
Bengaluru (PTI): Jos Buttler made a fifty marked by creativity and sustained aggression to support the impeccable spell of Mohammed Siraj as Gujarat Titans carved a smooth eight-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL match here on Wednesday.
Buttler (73 not out, 39b, 5x4, 6x6) and B Sai Sudharsan (49, 36b) added 75 runs off 45 balls for the second wicket, as the Titans ended up at 170 for two in 17.5 overs, while chasing RCB's 169 for eight.
However, the Gujarat side's chase did not start as they would have liked, losing skipper Shubman Gill for a laboured 14.
The Titans' skipper clobbered Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a six but fell in the very next ball to the pacer, lobbing him to Liam Livingstone in the deep.
But it brought together Sudharsan and Buttler, who extracted runs off the RCB bowlers in contrasting style.
Sudharsan's innings was an antithesis to the modern T20 ethos, as it was all about elegantly timed shots such as a wristy flick for a boundary off Yash Dayal or a square cut for four off the same bowler.
There was a touch of impishness too to the innings when he moved across and scooped pacer Josh Hazlewood for a six over the stumper's head.
However, a second attempt to play a similar shot off the Australian ended his stay, giving a simple catch to Jitesh Sharma.
But Sudharsan's dismissal, which came in the immediate aftermath of RCB taking the second ball in the 13th over, was a minor jitter in Gujarat's chase, which was marshalled so effectively by Buttler.
The Englishman was slightly jittery to begin with but once he found the right gears, he was unstoppable, fetching those thunderous shots off the shelf regularly.
Buttler reached his fifty with a sumptuous six off spinner Livingstone over long-on off 31 balls and his imperious touch was evident in the three sixes he hammered off Hazlewood to finish the match.
Buttler and Impact Sub Sherfane Rutherford (30 not out, 18b) added 63 runs for the third wicket as Gujarat strolled home.
Earlier, Siraj led a group of fired-up GT bowlers as they limited the vaunted RCB batting unit to 169 for eight despite a providential 54 by Livingstone.
Once the Titans decided to bowl first, they would not have envisioned such a domination over a potent batting line-up even considering a rather unexpectedly slow and grippy pitch.
The slip-down started with the wicket of Virat Kohli (7), who began with a lovely cover driven four off Siraj (4-0-19-3).
But the ace batter fell to left-arm seamer Arshad Khan, who came in for Kagiso Rabada, attempting a pull that ended in the hands of Prasidh Krishna at fine leg.
Thereafter the RCB top-order was poleaxed by GT bowlers led by Siraj, who joined the side after a seven-season stint in the red and gold jersey ahead of IPL 2025.
Phil Salt, who was dropped on zero by Buttler off Siraj, skipper Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal paraded back to the hut as RCB slumped to 42 for four in 6.2 overs.
However, Salt, who slammed Siraj for a 105 metre six, and Devdutt might feel a tinge of regret because both of them tried to give space to themselves for big shots only to get castled by Siraj.
However, the Royal Challengers found some stability through Jitesh Sharma (33, 21b) and Livingstone (54, 40b, 1x4, 5x6) as they added 52 runs off 38 balls for the fifth wicket.
The impressive left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore (2/22), who varied his line and pace exemplarily, broke the alliance, dismissing Jitesh, who skied him to Rahul Tewatia.
It was a redemption point for Tewatia as well because he had earlier dropped Livingstone on 9 off Sai Kishore.
It proved costly for GT as the English batter hammered an off-colour Rashid Khan for three sixes in an over, two in a row, to reach his fifty in 39 balls.
Livingstone milked 46 precious runs for the seventh wicket with Tim David to take RCB past the 150-run mark.
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