In the 28th edition of his Mann ki Baat radio address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the country to observe two minutes of silence to pay respect to all soldiers who had died while fighting for the country. Modi also congratulated those personnel who were awarded gallantry medals on Republic Day and condoled the deaths of the soldiers who in avalanches in Jammu and Kashmir, ANI reported.
Modi offered examination advice to students appearing for their Class 10 and Class 12 students. “Do not think about exams as pressure; they should be celebrated as festivals...During exams, there should be an environment of festivity, it will turn P for pressure into P for pleasure.” Earlier, Modi had tweeted that the radio programme would primarily focus on the upcoming board exams for Class 10 and Class 12 students.
The prime minister also paid his respects to the Coast Guard, who will celebrate their 40th anniversary on February 1.
On Saturday, the Election Commission had approved the airing of the radio programme, The Indian Express reported. The government had approached the Commission as the Model Code of Conduct is currently in force in the five states – Goa, Manipur, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh – that will hold their Assembly elections between February 4 and March 8.
Previously, the Commission had voiced its concerns over some ministries and central departments not seeking its inputs on decisions made ahead of upcoming polls in five states. The poll monitor asked the Centre to abide by the Model Code of Conduct since some ministries had made decisions that would have the “effect of disturbing [the] level playing fields of poll bound states”.
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