Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that the rising sales of Khadi and handloom products in the country are creating new job opportunities. Addressing the nation, in his 112th Mann Ki Baat programme on Akashvani on Sunday the Prime Minister said, the turnover of Khadi Village Industry has crossed 1.5 lakh crore rupees for the first time.

Mr. Modi said many people who did not use Khadi products earlier are now wearing them with pride. He urged people who have not bought Khadi clothes to start buying from this year.

Speaking about the handloom industry, Mr Modi lauded 250 women of Rohtak district of Haryana for joining the UNNATI Self Help Group and spreading the magic of colours on clothes. The women joined the Self Help Group and received training in block printing and dyeing.

National Handloom Day will be celebrated in the country on the 7th of next month. The Prime Minister was pleased to note that artisans in different parts of the country are engaged in making handloom popular. He called upon people to upload their local products on social media with the hashtag – My Product My Pride.

Speaking about the pressing issue of drug abuse in the country, Mr Modi outlined the government’s proactive measures to combat this growing menace. He said, the government has taken a special initiative called MANAS to address the issue. He said the Helpline and Portal of MANAS were launched recently and a toll-free number-1933-has been issued.

Prime Minister Modi expressed pride on inclusion of Charaideo Maidam of Assam in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Prime Minister highlighted that it will be the 43rd site of India in the list, and the first Cultural World Heritage site from the Northeast. He urged people to include Charaideo Madamin in their future travel plans.

Speaking about the ongoing Summer Olympics in Paris, the Prime Minister said mega quadrennial event is the flavour of the season in the world right now. He asked people to encourage the players and Cheer for Bharat.

The Prime Minister also asked listeners to participate in the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, with 15th August approaching. He encouraged people to upload their selfies with the Tricolour on ‘harghartiranga.com’.