Bhopal, May 31: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Holkar is a symbol of the invaluable contribution of women power in nation building.
Recalling Devi Ahilyabai’s inspiring statement “Whatever we have got is a debt given by the public – which we have to repay”, he said that our government is working on the same values ββof Lokmata Ahilyabai. “Nagarik Devo Bhava” is the mantra of governance at present.
Prime Minister was addressing the Women Empowerment Maha Sammelan at Jamboori Maidan in Bhopal on Saturday on the occasion of the 300th birth anniversary of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar. During this, Governor Mangubhai Patel and Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav were also present.
Modi also visited the exhibition focused on Devi Ahilyabai. Earlier, he garlanded the statue of Devi Ahilyabai. The Governor greeted the Prime Minister by presenting a portrait of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar made of zari zardozi.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav welcomed the Prime Minister by putting a Maratha turban on him and presenting him a ‘Pushpak Viman’ made of Bharewa art, also known as Dhokra art, of Betul district. The
Prime Minister was also welcomed by four women of the state, a symbol of women empowerment and self-reliance. These included Gyaneshwari Devi dedicated to the care of cancer patients in Jabalpur, Prachi Yadav, the first Indian canoeist and Arjuna Award winner, Aarti Patel, Sarpanch of village Tirla-District Dhar dedicated to cleanliness and development work at the village level, and Meenakshi Thakle of Nageshwari Self Help Group Maheshwar, engaged in the manufacture of Maheshwari sarees.
The Prime Minister conferred the Devi Ahilyabai National Award to Chhattisgarh’s tribal artist Dr Jayamati Kashyap. He released a postage stamp and a coin of Rs 300 dedicated to Lokmata Ahilyabai. He also inaugurated Datia and Satna airports and Indore Metro.
Prime Minister also made a virtual transfer of Rs 483 crore under the first installment for the construction of 1271 new Atal Gram Seva Sadan (Panchayat Bhawan) in the state.
He said that the launch of Indore Metro and Datia and Satna being connected with air services will increase facilities in Madhya Pradesh, speed up development and also create new employment opportunities. Indore, India’s cleanest city, has now got the recognition of Metro. The central government has approved the development of railway lines to expand transport facilities in the Malwa region. With Datia and Satna being connected with air services, darshan of Maa Pitambara and Maa Sharda Devi will become more accessible. Connectivity of Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand will increase.
Modi said today India has to increase its hard work and capability with the inspiration of Ahilyabai. Names like Rani Kamlapati, Rani Durgavati, Rani Avantibai, Rani Chennamma fill us with pride. We have to strengthen the foundation of India. He said that Ahilyabai had preserved the heritage along with development during her tenure. Today’s India is also moving ahead with the same resolve.
Operation Sindoor has become a symbol of the strength of our Nari Shakti-
Prime Minister said that India is a country of culture, ‘Sindoor’ is our tradition. It is offered to Lord Hanuman and is a symbol of respect for sisters. This same Sindoor has now become a symbol of India’s bravery. In Pahalgam, the terrorists not only shed the blood of Indians, but also attacked our culture. They tried to divide India. The terrorists challenged the Nari Shakti of India, but this power became a death knell for them. Operation Sindoor has not stopped, it is the most successful operation against terrorists. As far as the Pakistani Army had not thought, the Indian Army has killed them several hundred kilometers inside. Now whoever helps the terrorists will also have to pay a heavy price for it. Every citizen of India is saying that if you fire a bullet, the bullet will be answered with a shell. Operation Sindoor has become a symbol of the strength of our Nari Shakti.
He said that the BSF has played a big role in this operation. The daughters of BSF were handling the front from the border. They have shown amazing bravery by destroying many enemy posts. Today the world is seeing the bravery of India’s daughters in national defense. For the first time, the Government of India has opened the doors of Sainik Schools for girls. Before 2014, only 25 percent of the cadets in NCC were girls. Our government has increased it to 50 percent.
He told that just yesterday the first batch of women cadets from NDA has passed out. Now daughters are being deployed on the front. Daughters are handling warships and flying fighter planes. Two brave daughters of the Navy have circumnavigated the world in a boat in 250 days. This boat runs only on air, it shows that no matter how big the challenge is, the daughters of India can overcome it. Daughters are becoming the shield of security even in Naxal operations.