india

Updated: Jun 15, 2020 06:41 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on the need for population control during his Independence speech from the ramparts of Red Fort.

Modi said that there is a greater need for discussion and awareness on the population explosion. “Population explosion will cause many problems for our future generations. But there is a vigilant section of public which stops to think, before bringing a child to the world, whether they can do justice to the child, give them all that she or he wants. They have a small family and express their patriotism to the country. Let’s learn from them. There is need of social awareness,” Prime Minister Modi said.

Follow live updates here

Prime Ministerhad a word of praise for those who are going for small families. He said that such families are observing a form of patriotism. He said: “Those who follow the policy of small family also contribute to the development of the nation, it is also a form of patriotism.”

Asserting that single-use plastic is not good for the environment, PM Modi on Thursday urged the people and shopkeepers to eliminate the use of plastic bags completely.

Modi said single-use plastic poses grave threat to the environment. “Can we free India from single-use plastic? The time for implementing such an idea has come. Teams must be mobilised to work in this direction. A significant step must come out by October 2,” he said.

WATCH| PM Modi on I-Day: One nation, one constitution dream has been achieved

Urging citizens too, to pitch in, Modi said it would be a good opportunity for the shop owners to advertise with their won cloth bags: “Shop owners and small entrepreneurs should start gifting their customers cloth bags with their branding and inculcate the good habit in the same stroke.”

Asking the people to prefer digital transactions instead of cash transactions, Modi told the shopkeepers: “You already have a board outside your shops that reads: ‘Aaj nagad, kal udhar’. Similarly you can have a board saying ‘yes’ to digital payment and no to cash payment.”

The Prime Minister also urged the farmers to minimise the use of chemical-based fertilizers in their farmlands.

Stressing on creation of wealth, Modi said: “Wealth creation is a great national service. Let us never see wealth creators with suspicion. Only when wealth is created, it will be distributed. “Wealth creation is absolutely essential. Those who create wealth are India’s wealth and we respect them,” Modi said.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)