Mann ki Baat: Narendra Modi praises EC for strengthening democracy; says India will mark presence on moon with Chandrayaan-2

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the contribution of the Election Commission of India for continuously working towards strengthening the democracy and also urged the youth of the country who have attained the age of voting to register themselves as voters. Addressing the nation in the 52nd episode of his Mann Ki Baat radio programme, the prime minister said, “25th January was the day the Election Commission was formed, which is celebrated now as National Voters Day. The scale at which elections are organised in our country astonishes the world. It is natural for every citizen to feel proud of the Election Commission of its meticulous organising abilities.” [caption id=“attachment_5407951” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI[/caption] In his address, the prime minister also praised young scientists who are entrusted with the responsibility of taking the country forward. He said, “Today, our space programme is powered by several young scientists.” “We must take pride in the fact that the satellites developed by our students are reaching the space today. On 24 January, Kalam SAT, created by our students, was launched,” he added. Expressing pride, Modi said that India has also created a world record for launching 104 satellites simultaneously from the same spacecraft. He said that the country will soon register India’s presence on the moon through the Chandrayaan-2 campaign. He also paid tribute to freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He said, “Subhash Babu will always be remembered as a heroic soldier”. “He played an important role in the freedom struggle. ‘Dilli Chalo’, ‘Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazadi doonga’, with these slogans he awakened every Indian,” he said. Modi expressed happiness regarding the declassification of the Bose files. “For many years it was being demanded that the files related to Netaji be made public and I am happy that we fulfilled this demand,” he said. Paying tribute to late Shivakumar Swamiji , the pontiff of Sree Siddaganga Matha who recently passed away after a prolonged illness in Karnataka’s Tumkur, the prime minister said that he had dedicated his entire life to social service, working for the social, educational welfare of scores of people. “Shivakumar Swamiji was a true follower of Lord Basaveshwar’s tenet ‘Kayakave Kailash’. During his life spanning 111 years, he strived tirelessly towards social, educational, and economic upliftment of thousands of people,” Modi said. The prime minister did not miss out on extending his wishes for students preparing for exams. He said, “My younger friends, the days of examinations are approaching. Students, their parents, teachers, all are engaged in tasks related to exams. I wish all the students, their parents, and teachers all the best”. He has also written a book Exam Warriors which intends to reach out to the students and prepare them to face the difficulties ahead of exams. In his address, the Prime Minister also asked people to send their ideas for ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ programme on 29 January, in which he will emphasise on stress-free exams.