Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his joint address with the United States President Barack Obama in programme 'Man Ki Baat' on All India Radio, last night expressed concern over the skewed sex ratio in the country.
Prime Minister asked the people of the country to save the girl child and educate them, while taking it as social and cultural duty and also as a human responsibility.Mr Modi attributed it to the preference of boy over girl child. Terming the mindset as flawed, Mr Modi said, the way Mr Obama is rearing his two daughters is a source of inspiration.
In his reply to this, Barack Obama said, his daughters wanted to come to India but could not leave school. He said, they are fascinated by the culture and history of India and deeply moved by India's Independence movement and the role of Mahatma Gandhi.
Replying to a question whether Mr Obama and Michelle Obama will come to India after he will demit the office as President and work in dealing with modern health challenges arising from obesity and diabetes, Mr Obama said, they would like to work on these issues in India and also at international level. He said, there is a worldwide epidemic of obesity which is in part due of lack of physical activity among the children. He said, he and Mr Modi have discussed how to deal better with issues like Ebola virus and polio.He stressed on improving public health infrastructure around the world.
On a question, the Prime Minister said, he never dream of reaching the top level, but always aspired to serve the nation. Mr Modi asked the people to not dream of becoming something, instead of doing something. Mr Modi said, at the end it is work which gives satisfaction and inspiration.
Adding to it, Mr Obama said, youth is a global citizen and they are exposed to the world in ways that the people of the previous generations can hardly imagine. He said, he feels that governments and leaders cannot simply govern or rule by a top down strategy, rather they have to reach out to people in an inclusive and transparent way.
Echoing similar views, Mr Narendra Modi said, youth has the power to unite the world. To another question, Mr Modi said, he is inspired by Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the US. He said everyone should read biography of Benjamin Franklin.
To a query, Barack Obama said, satisfaction from helping somebody exceeds everything else. Mr Obama said, it inspires to do more and helps get through challenges and difficulties.
Yesterday's joint address is a sequel of the jointly written op-ed piece in 'Washington Post' when Prime Minister had visited United States to attend General Assembly Session in September, last year.
The Programme Man Ki Baat has been receiving overwhelming response from the listeners across the country. AIR is getting a large number of letters and feedback on social media seeking more information and showing interest in the programme
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