PM Modi bats for promotion of local products

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to be  ‘vocal for local’ while shopping for festivals while celebrating the fests during the pandemic with restrain. “The fervor of festivals and the glitter and sparkle of the marketplace are interconnected. But this time when you go shopping, do remember our resolve of ‘Vocal for Local’. While purchasing items from the market, we have to accord priority to local products,” Modi said in his monthly broadcast of  his 70thnedition of ‘Mann Ki Baat.’ The term ‘Local for Vocal’ was coined when PM Modi unveiled the Atmanirbhar Bharat package or Self-reliant India on May 12. He had said that every Indian has to become vocal for their local, not only to buy local products but also to promote them proudly. One of India’s most popular local product ‘Khadi’ has remained a symbol of simplicity over a long period of time but now it is getting known as an eco-friendly fabric. In terms of health, this is a body-friendly fabric, an all-weather fabric and now it has also become a fashion statement. Talking about the global presence of Khadi, he specifically mentioned ‘Oaxaca Khadi’ which is being produced in Mexico, Modi added. self-help groups are making Khadi masks in many places of the country and gave the example of Suman Devi in Barabanki of Uttar Pradesh. Suman Devi, along with her friends of a self-help group, started making Khadi masks and they are now producing thousands of Khadi masks, Modi said. India’s local products often have a complete philosophy enshrined in them. The Prime Minister said Pulwama in Kashmir is playing an important role in educating the entire country. He said that India used to import wood for pencils from abroad, but now Pulwama is making the country self-sufficient in the field of pencil making.  Chinar wood of the valley has high moisture content and softness, which makes it most suitable for the manufacture of pencils. In Pulwama, Oukhoo is known as the Pencil Village. Here, several manufacturing units of Pencil Slats are providing employment to hundreds including a large number of women, Modi said. Manzoor Ahmad Alai from Pulwama has sold his ancestral land and established a unit to manufacture Apple wooden boxes. Manzoor was engaged in his small business when he came to know that Poplar wood, Chinar wood is being used in manufacturing pencils. Manzoor channelled his entrepreneurial spirit and started the supply of Poplar wooden boxes to some famous pencil manufacturing units. Today, his turnover from this business is in crores and is a source of livelihood for around two hundred people. PM  Modi commended him and the enterprising people for making invaluable contributions in educating the young minds of the country.