Union Minister Prakash Javadekar and his cabinet colleague Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi unveiled a 568-kg ladoo on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 68th birthday on Monday.
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar and his cabinet colleague Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi unveiled a 568-kg ladoo on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 68th birthday on Monday.
Participating at a function organised by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, which is celebrating the PM's birthday as 'Swachhta Diwas', Javadekar said, "Sanitation coverage has significantly increased in the country in last four years." Under the 'Swachhta Campaign' more than nine crore toilets have been constructed and 450 lakh villages have been declared open defecation free (ODF), Javadekar said.
Stating that sanitation coverage was only 30 per cent in the country in the first 60 to 62 years, the HRD minister said under the leadership of Modi the coverage now stood at 90 per cent.
Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said sanitation has become a mass movement.
"PM Sh @narendramodi has been working with the commitment to Clean India, Healthy India . Swachh Bharat Abhiyan #SwachhtaHiSeva has today become an effective mission with the participation & passion of common people of the country. (sic)" Naqvi later tweeted.
Meanwhile, a coffee-table book titled "Narendra Modi: A Charismatic & Visionary Statesman" was dedicated to the prime minister on the occasion of his 68th birthday on Monday.
The 672-page book, weighing 5 kilograms on Japanese matte art paper, claims to present an objective picture of the country's 14th PM Narendra Modi, who the authors said "successfully left the spectre of the Gujarat riots of 2002 behind to rise like a phoenix in spite of much adversity and court battles".
The foreword of the book by international writers and jurists Adish C Aggarwala and Sarah J Marchington, is written by BJP president Amit Shah.
"Shri Narendra Modi has become an icon of politics of development. With his thrust on innovation and entrepreneurship, he has taken a slew of de-licensing and deregulation measures to remove complexities that hindered growth of business in the country, Shah writes in the foreword.
Peppered with rare photographs of Modi, be it of his childhood or his meetings with eminent personalities from across the world, the book also offers readers a peep into the everyday regime of the prime minister from his morning tea till the "time he retires for the day at 1 am".
The difference between Narendra Modi and others begin with his daily schedule and routine. He gets up early, and sleeps late. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President, joked that Narendra Modi doesn't sleep, and doesn't allow his ministers to do so.
"It's now established that the Prime Minister is awake by 4 am," reads the book.
Several cabinet ministers and chief ministers, including Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, have also contributed to the book.
One of the articles written by the defence minister reads: "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided much needed leadership to the masses. His idea of governance is inclusive and people oriented. Under his able leadership, we have been able to retain the tenets of peace even in times of grave provocation by our immediate neighbour." According to the publisher, the book has "painstakingly covered the journey of Modi right from his early childhood days, till he held the reins of the country".
"It has spanned each significant event and chronicled the myriad influences that shaped his ideology and thought process," said the statement by the publisher.
The book is published by UK Publishers & Distributors, London.
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