According to highly-placed sources, the initiative was a brainchild of the Prime Minister’s Office
For the thousands of visitors to the annual International trade fair in the Capital, there was some added excitement this year. Many visit the fair every year as an annual winter family day-out ritual, but on Sunday, they happened to send written and voice messages to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his monthly radio show, Mann Ki Baat.
In an unusual move to publicise the PM’s monthly show, All India Radio (AIR) has set up a counter on Mann Ki Baat at the International trade fair held at Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. Splattered with several posters of the PM, the stall attracted many curious onlookers on Sunday.
A majority of them of them ended up writing suggestions to the PM and putting them into the drop box while some voice-recorded their messages, which would be later aired in AIR.
According to highly-placed sources, the initiative was a brainchild of the Prime Minister’s Office. The messages received at the stall will also be made directly available to the PM through the Narendra Modi application for monitoring the messages at the highest level of the Centre, without waiting for the AIR broadcast.
Till Sunday, which saw a massive footfall, the Mann Ki Baat stall collected around 1,500 voice and written messages. Around 250 messages were received on Saturday itself.
People present on the spot told DNA that they had spoken about a greater involvement of the PM in tacking the city’s pollution, while some emphasized on cleanliness and sanitation issues in the country.
Mukesh Sharma (name changed), one of the visitors who was excited about recording his message at the venue, said he is sure and happy that his message will be mentioned by the PM in his next edition of Mann Ki Baat.
An official from AIR said the messages will be checked and filtered and only “relevant messages” will be aired on AIR.
Talking to DNA, another official emphasized that the initiative is just an effort to popularize AIR’s most popular show further, and should not be read further into.
Information and Broadcasting minister Smriti Irani is also expected to visit the stall next week.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Mann Ki Baat")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}