Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday addressed the nation in his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'.

The Prime Minister began his address by talking about a statue of Devi Annapurna which is being brought back from Canada to India and outlined the importance of World Heritage Week.

He then spoke about the work of Jonas Masetti, who gives lessons on Vedanta and Geeta in Brazil.

Speaking of the farm laws passed in Parliament recently, PM Modi said the farm reform laws have broken shackles of the farmers and also provided new opportunities to them.
“Parliament has recently passed farm reform laws after rigorous brainstorming. These reforms have not only broken shackles of farmers but have also given new rights and opportunities to them,” PM Modi said in his monthly radio address Mann ki Baat.

"The new farm laws have opened the doors of opportunity for the Indian farmers," PM Modi added.

"The demands that farmers made over the years, which every government had only promised to meet so far, have finally been met," PM Modi said.

"The Indian government has given shape to the laws after much deliberation. Most of the constraints of the farmers have been ended, they have been given new rights and new opportunities," he added.

Meanwhile, as coronavirus cases in the country continue to rise day by day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who carried out a three-city visit to “understand the process of vaccine production and distribution” on Saturday, spent an hour at the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune, the last of his three stops.

Serum Institute of India has partnered with AstraZeneca and University of Oxford to manufacture the Covishield vaccine. “It was an excellent visit. The Prime Minister was highly impressed with the manufacturing facility at Serum Institute and asked us to come out with the vaccine at the earliest,” 79-year-old Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, chairman of the Poonawalla Group, told The Indian Express.

The Prime Minister interacted with top scientists at the Serum Institute of India, to better understand how the scale-up is done and what the production capacity is. He also asked questions on the status of the trial. “He asked us if the government can help in the effort,” said Dr Poonawalla.

Apart from SII, PM Modi also visited the vaccine development facilities of Zydus Cadila in Ahmedabad and Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad. Both these companies are testing a vaccine they have indigenously developed.

Meanwhile, PM Modi urged educational institutions to adopt new, innovative methods and creative platforms for engagement with alumni.