Life and death are pre-destined: Rajnath

Close on the heels of his statement that the next-door pundit can give astronomical predictions, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said he was "orthodox" and believed that life and death are pre- destined.
Speaking at an event of NDRF, a relief force raised and mandated to rescue people during disasters, he told the jawans and others that they should consider themselves blessed as god has given them the opportunity to save and help those who are struck in such calamities.
"There may be a controversy on this or I may be called orthodox but a person like me, who believes in the existence of god, it is our firm belief that life and death are pre- destined and it will happen when it has to," he said.

He added that it is the men of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) who reach out to any person trapped or stuck in a tragedy like floods or earthquake and "help them out".
Singh told the jawans that they should consider their task as a "big blessing of god" as they have been empowered as a "medium" by the almighty to serve and rescue someone who is dying or trapped in a calamity.
The Home Minister, on January 19 in Lucknow, had said that the next door pundit can give astronomical predictions and one need not depend on US observatories, emphasising on contributions of ancient Indian knowledge.

"80 per cent of disasters happen because of some reasons, this fact cannot be denied. We also know that the nature is losing stability as since some time we have been plundering in the blind race of development," he said in his address today.
"We should take from the nature only up to the limit what it can replenish back and nothing more," he said.
He urged the force personnel to keep doing good work by saying that a man becomes great not because of adjectives before his name but by the deeds he does.