'Will donate prize money to Namami Gange project': PM Modi after receiving Lokmanya Tilak National Award

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed his gratitude for being honored with the Lokmanya Tilak National Award and said “it was a memorable moment”. “This is a memorable moment for me,” PM Modi said, adding, “While I am very happy to be here, I am also feeling emotional. Lokmanya Tilak is the tilak of our freedom struggle.” PM Modi added, that he will be donating the prize money from the Lokmanya Tilak National Award to the Namami Gange project. Further he, expressed his desire to dedicate this prestigious award to the 140 crore people of the country. While addressing an event in Pune, PM Modi heaped praises on Lokmanya Tilak’s significant contribution towards India’s independence struggle and appreciated all the freedom fighters. Further, PM Modi paid homage to Tilak and said that his contribution can’t be adequately expressed by mentioning few words or incidents. The Prime Minister also expressed his honor to be present on the soil of Maharashtra, the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Jyotirba Phule. “The vision of ‘Vyavastha Nimaan Se Sanstha Nirmaan’, ‘Sanstha Nirmaan Se Vyakti Nirmaan’, ‘Vyakti Nirmaan Se Rasthra Nirmaan’ is a roadmap for nation building. India is following this roadmap diligently,” PM Modi said. Modi has become the 41st person to receive the Lokmanya Tilak National Award. Former recipients of this prestigious award include eminent figures such as Shankar Dayal Sharma, Pranab Mukherjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indira Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, NR Narayana Murthy, and E Sreedharan, among other notable personalities. PM Modi is on a day-long visit to Pune, where he will also flag off Metro trains and lay the foundation stone of several development projects, according to an official statement from the PMO.