Mann ki Baat LIVE Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 11am today in the 70th edition of his Mann ki Baat programme. PM Modi had sought suggestions from citizens on his social media accounts earlier this month about topics for Mann ki Baat, a forum where he addresses the country over a range of issues. In his previous address, which came amid protests over farm bills, PM Modi said they are playing a major role in building a self-reliant India. Modi said many farmers benefitted after fruits, vegetables were brought out of APMC Act in some states a few years ago. “Our agriculture sector has shown its prowess during the Covid-19 pandemic and farmers are playing a major role in efforts to build a self-reliant India,” he said.
Farmer unions across India have been protesting against the contentious agriculture reform bills passed by Parliament last week, fearing the new legislations would do away with Minimum Support Price and leave farmers at the mercy of corporates. The BJP’s oldest ally Shiromani Akali Dal walked out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) over the issue on Saturday, citing the Modi government’s “stubborn refusal” to give statutory legislative guarantees to protect the assured marketing of farmers’ crops at MSP.
In the 69th edition of Mann Ki Baat on September 29, the Prime Minister also recalled landmark events to be observed- the Bhagat Singh Jayanti and the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on October 2. He took a swipe at the Congress party, saying that if the essence of Mahatma Gandhi’s economic philosophy was followed by previous governments, his government would not have felt the need to launch the Aatmanirbhar Bharat
