New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted via video conferencing with participants of the Seva Yatra travelling from Varanasi to Vadnagar under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan. The Seva Yatris shared their experiences from their journey, including their interactions with villagers and beneficiaries of various government schemes.
The participants spoke about how welfare schemes were benefiting people across different age groups, including children, women and the elderly. They also shared stories of beneficiaries they had met during their journey and described the warm welcome and hospitality extended to them by villagers.
Interacting with the participants, PM Modi said such yatras provide an opportunity to understand the country at the grassroots level and help the younger generation experience India’s diversity. He noted that travelling through villages and spending time with local communities gives participants an opportunity to learn about people’s lives, their aspirations and the impact of various initiatives.
A group of Seva Yatris currently in Agra shared their experiences with the Prime Minister and said they were energetic and carrying out their responsibilities effectively. One participant narrated an interaction with a beneficiary in Unnao.
The participant recalled that an elderly woman had asked them where they were going. When they told her that they were travelling to meet PM Modi, the woman expressed her gratitude to the Prime Minister for helping her get a pucca house under a government scheme.
The Prime Minister also interacted with Seva Yatris from Raisen in Madhya Pradesh who were travelling towards Vadnagar. A participant named Pradeep told PM Modi that he was their inspiration and said the participants would cover more than 20,000 km during their motorcycle journey.
During the interaction, PM Modi noticed that several participants were wearing saffron turbans presented to them by villagers. He asked whether the villagers had given the turbans to them and praised the warm welcome and hospitality extended by the local communities.
He also reminded the participants about road safety and asked whether they wore helmets while riding their motorcycles.
“You are all wearing saffron turbans; did the villagers present them to you? The villagers accorded you such a warm welcome and showed you such great hospitality. I offer my respects to the villagers,” PM Modi said.
“But you don’t drive wearing this turban, do you? You wear a helmet while driving, right? Please don’t mistake the turban for a helmet,” he added.
PM Modi also heard about beneficiaries who had benefited from government healthcare initiatives. He was told about a family that had used the Ayushman Bharat scheme for the treatment of their young daughter. The participant said the girl had received treatment and was now healthy.
The Prime Minister also interacted with groups of Seva Yatris from Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh who were travelling from Varanasi towards Gujarat. He urged the participants to inspire people to contribute towards the goal of building a Viksit Bharat.
“We should inspire people to make Viksit Bharat, then everyone should do something to make it possible. You all should note down experiences, and it will help you all,” PM Modi said.
He said that the participants were travelling through different villages and, at several places, were getting an opportunity to stay overnight with local communities.
“You are travelling across different villages, and at several places, you also get the opportunity to stay overnight. The experience of living among the villagers, experiencing their hospitality, and connecting with their families during these days,” PM Modi said.
He also interacted with participants from Sagar in Madhya Pradesh. The yatris said they were enjoying the journey and shared experiences of women whose lives, according to them, had changed with the help of various government schemes.
They spoke about improvements in the economic conditions of beneficiaries and explained how welfare initiatives were helping people at the grassroots level.
During the interaction, PM Modi also spoke about the importance of social reform and cited the example of Mahatma Gandhi.
“When we look at the life of Mahatma Gandhi, while he fought against the British and led the freedom movement, he was also a great social reformer. He constantly raised his voice and took action against the evils present in society,” PM Modi said.
He said political workers should continue working towards social reform and should not limit themselves to electoral considerations.
“We, as political workers, must also keep working for continuous reform in our society; we shouldn’t just focus on our vote banks or let things run on autopilot,” he said.
The Prime Minister also emphasised the need to ensure dignity and respect for sanitation workers.
“We must ensure that our brothers and sisters involved in sanitation work receive dignity and respect, and that we embrace them; the immense service they render to society deserves to be honoured. These values should be instilled in every household and in the life of every individual,” he said.
Reflecting on the significance of the journey connecting Vadnagar and Varanasi, PM Modi said he had interacted with the yatris travelling from Vadnagar on Thursday and was meeting those travelling from Kashi towards his village on Friday.
“Yesterday, I spoke to yatris from Vadnagar and today, with my Kashi who are going to my village. I got the opportunity to talk to them. You are doing the work. It’s a matter of good fortune. Vadnagar gave me morals, and Kashi filled unlimited colours of service,” he said.
“Between these two cities, you are carrying out such a huge seva campaign,” PM Modi added.
He said the participants were carrying the spirit of patriotism and service and expressed satisfaction over their dedication.
“I am satisfied that you all are doing the same. These colours are of patriotism and service. You all have feelings to make this country Viksit Bharat,” PM Modi said.
He also referred to photographs and updates from the journey, saying he had been observing images showing the condition of places before and after service activities.
“Today, the way you all are doing with dedication, when I was doing trackers and was seeing all the pictures of before and after, I feel satisfied with what you all are doing,” he said.
PM Modi also remembered Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on his birth anniversary and highlighted his contributions to the ideological and organisational development of the BJP.
“Today is the birth anniversary of Pt Deendayal. He gave us a lot of lessons. As Seva Yatris, we should continuously do the work. Pt Deendayal Upadhyay was the one who gave us the vision of Swadeshi,” he said.
He said BJP workers were proud of the inspiration provided by Deendayal Upadhyaya and noted the scale of the ongoing Seva Yatra.
“Every BJP worker is proud that Pt Deendayal gave us inspiration, and we are all walking on that path of service. It’s a big thing that you all are travelling through 20 different routes, 1,000 Seva Yatris, 1,000 villages, seeing lakhs of people. All this is a great experience of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi further said, “Every journey, and every experience gained during a journey, guides me like a guru even today. These journeys have taught me a great deal. Right where you are going – Vadnagar – my own journey began there at the age of 17 or 18. First, to discover myself, to achieve my goal, and then in the service of society and the nation. In these journeys, whoever I met, whichever family’s house I stayed in, everyone has taught me something.”
On Thursday, the Prime Minister interacted with participants of the Seva Yatra travelling from Vadnagar to Varanasi and praised their journey as an initiative focused on grassroots engagement and service.
During that interaction, he asked the participants about their experiences on the road, their interactions with local communities and the new lessons they had learned during the journey. Drawing from his own organisational experience, PM Modi also acknowledged the challenges faced by the participants, including changing weather conditions and frequent movement between locations.
The Seva Yatra began on September 17 as part of the wider Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, which has been organised to highlight PM Modi’s 25 years of public life. The participants are travelling through towns, districts, talukas and villages, with the programme focusing on community service and public engagement at the grassroots level.
The two-way motorcycle yatras between Varanasi and Vadnagar involve young participants travelling through multiple states, districts and villages. During the journey, the Seva Yatris have been engaging with local communities and participating in various service-oriented activities.
These activities include cleanliness drives, interactions with beneficiaries and residents, and programmes at schools, hospitals, nursing homes and other community locations. The journey is scheduled to continue until October 7.
The Seva Yatris are stopping at different communities and participating in activities based on local needs. These include cleanliness drives at ponds, temples, schools, parks, hospitals and other public places, along with beneficiary interactions, youth dialogues, Gram Sabha Samvad and Gau Seva.
They are also participating in tree plantation activities under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative, while using the journey to interact with local residents and understand their experiences.
The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, through these activities, aims to combine service, communication, youth participation, social welfare, cultural engagement and community mobilisation across the routes connecting Varanasi and Vadnagar.
–IANS
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