3 mn families gave up LPG subsidy: Modi

PM says the sale of khadi has doubled in the last year after he asked people to purchase "khadi for fashion"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he would be hosting 50 family members of Subhas Chandra Bose in October at his official residence at 7, Race Course Road. Marking 12 episodes and a year of his radio broadcast 'Mann Ki Baat', the Prime Minister noted how people at large have responded positively to his appeals made in previous editions like 'selfie with daughter', wearing khadi and giving up LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) subsidy.

The first edition of 'Mann Ki Baat' was broadcast on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2 last year. Modi said there has been a "silent revolution" ever since he appealed to the people to surrender their LPG subsidy so that it could go to the more deserving people. He said nearly three million families, many of these not particularly affluent, have given it up. The Prime Minister said the sale of khadi has doubled in the last year after he asked people to purchase "khadi for fashion".

Modi said khadi can be purchased at a rebate for a month from the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. He asked people to celebrate this year's festival of Diwali by buying not just khadi but also handloom, as this would help weavers. Modi also appealed for greater use of pottery, particularly diya or earthen lamps, which were environment-friendly as well as help potters financially. He also touched upon his pet Swachh Bharat campaign, agreeing with a young caller that there was a need to install dustbins.

On Netaji Bose, the PM said he met the family of the freedom fighter on his visit to Kolkata in May. He said it would be a happy occasion for him to be hosting 50 of Bose's family members in October. According to reports from Kolkata, Chandra Bose has said 35 members of the Bose family and 14 researchers have been invited to the PM's bungalow on October 14.

Modi didn't refer to declassification of files related to Bose.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has mounted political pressure on the Centre to declassify files with the Centre. She led her state government to release 64 files related to how family members of Bose remained under surveillance for several years after Independence. Senior National Democratic Alliance ministers have said the government was studying diplomatic ramifications before releasing the files.

The PM, as instructed by the Election Commission, didn't refer to Bihar or the Assembly polls in that state in his broadcast. He spoke about greater voter enrolment and higher turnout and lauded the poll panel for transforming itself from a "monitor" of the election process to becoming a "facilitator". Modi also mentioned his slogan, "pehle matdaan, phir jalpaan (first cast your vote, then take your food)."

The PM spoke about his visit to an exhibition in New Delhi's India Gate to commemorate 50 years of the 1965 India-Pakistan war. "If you want to create history, then it is essential to understand the minute aspects of history. History keeps us connected to our roots. If connection with history breaks, then attempts to make history also come to a halt," he said.

Modi said 55,000 people phoned to give their suggestions for this episode of 'Mann ki Baat' and nearly all, barring one to two per cent, were with suggestions that were positive and creative. He said radio was a great medium for communication. 'Mann Ki Baat' (straight from the heart) has become 'Aap Ki Baat (your talk)', he said. Modi said Bose had effectively used radio broadcasts from Germany to reach out to people in India during the freedom struggle.