Modi@75: Health camps, fairs, exhibitions and schemes to mark PM's birthday

From women's health camps and cultural shows to fairs, exhibitions and auctions of mementos, the Centre and BJP states will celebrate PM Modi's 75th birthday in multiple ways

A painting exhibition inspired by his “Mann ki Baat” radio broadcast, e-auction of mementos that he has received, launch of women-centric schemes, a “musical saga” to tell his “untold story”, “swadeshi” fairs, blood donation drives, and cataract surgeries are some of the events that Union government’s ministries, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state governments, the party’s MPs, legislators and leaders will hold on Wednesday to mark the 75th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

On the eve of his birthday, Union ministers, chief ministers, and party leaders took to social media to share “my Modi story” to reminisce about how the PM guided them at crucial junctures of their political lives.

 

In a video that she shared on social media, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the PM is a “strong leader” with a “caring and compassionate side”. She recounted that after she delivered her first Budget speech, the PM phoned her, inquired about her health, and sent his personal doctor to her residence, “instructing him to run all the necessary tests and make sure I was absolutely fine”. Sitharaman said: “What moved me most was that this concern did not fade with time. Even today, every now and then, he reminds me: ‘Are you looking after yourself? How are you keeping?’.”

 

Others who shared their “my Modi story” included Union ministers Amit Shah, J P Nadda, and Piyush Goyal, chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis, Vishnu Deo Sai among others, actor Nagarjuna Akkineni, and film producer Boney Kapoor. 

 

On Wednesday, Union culture ministry’s Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) will open for public a painting exhibition “inspired” by the PM’s “Mann ki Baat”. It will also start the e-auction of the mementos that Modi has received. The BJP-led Delhi government has lined up several programmes. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta on Tuesday released a song in Modi’s honour, which the education department has prepared. This song has been sung by students in 21 languages. The Delhi government will also launch several welfare schemes while the UP government has plans to roll out development projects in Varanasi, which is Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency.

 

The PM will be in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district to launch schemes that the government termed as the largest ever health outreach for women and children in the country. Over 100,000 health camps will be organised at government facilities across the country from September 17 to October 2. 

 

On Thursday, writer Manoj Muntashir will present the “untold story of Narendra Modi” at a stadium in the national capital. The Maharashtra BJP unit has announced organising blood donation camps and sponsoring cataract surgeries from September 17 to October 2.

 

On his birthday last year, Modi visited Odisha where he interacted with the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Urban, and dedicated to the nation various development projects worth more than ~3,800 crore in Bhubaneswar. The PM also launched “SUBHADRA”, the flagship scheme of the Odisha government in the state capital. This largest, single women-centric scheme covers more than 1 crore women.

 

Over the years, the PM has marked his birthday by launching programmes such as the Vishwakarma scheme.