PM Modi to address 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' culmination event on Tuesday

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the culmination of the 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' campaign, a tribute to those who made the supreme sacrifice for the country, and inaugurate 'Amrit Vatika' and 'Amrit Mahotsav Memorial' on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's birth anniversary on Tuesday.

The event, to be held on the Kartavya Path here, will also mark the closing of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and the launch of the 'Mera Yuva Bharat' (MY Bharat) platform for the youth of the country, a statement said.

Modi will also address thousands of people who spearheaded the Amrit Kalash Yatras in different parts of the country.

The PMO statement said the Meri Maati Mera Desh campaign is a tribute to the bravehearts who have made the supreme sacrifice for the country.

In the spirit of people's participation, the campaign comprised many activities and ceremonies conducted across the country, including building of memorials and people taking five pledges first spelt out by Modi in his Independence Day speech.

These also included planting saplings of indigenous species, developing 'Amrit Vatika' and felicitation ceremonies for honouring the freedom fighters and the families of deceased freedom fighters.

"The campaign became a massive success, with over 2.3 lakh memorials built in 36 states/Union Territories; nearly 4 crore 'Panch Pran' pledge selfies uploaded; 2 lakh plus 'Veeron ka Vandan' programmes nationwide; more than 2.36 crore indigenous saplings have been planted; and 2.63 lakh Amrit Vatikas created," the statement said.

The 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' campaign also included the Amrit Kalash Yatra, which comprised collecting soils and rice grains from over six lakh villages and wards in urban areas that were sent to block level (where the soil of all villages in the block was mixed) and then to the state capital.  The soil from the state level was sent to the national capital.

All the states and Union Territories represented by their respective blocks and urban local bodies will be mixing soil in one giant 'Amrit Kalash' on Monday, a day before the programme, in the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat', it said.

The Meri Maati Mera Desh campaign was envisaged as a culminating event of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.

The Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav began on March 12, 2021, to celebrate 75 years of India's Independence. It has since witnessed more than two lakh programmes organised throughout the country with enthusiastic public participation, the statement said.

It added that 'Mera Yuva Bharat' (MY Bharat) is being established as an autonomous body to serve as a one-stop "whole-of-government" platform for the youths of the country.

In line with the prime minister's vision to provide equitable opportunities to every youth of the country, MY Bharat will leverage technology to provide an enabling mechanism across the entire spectrum of the government so that they can realise their aspirations and contribute to the building of developed India, it said.

"The aim of MY Bharat is to inspire youth to become community change agents and nation builders and enable them to act as the 'Yuva Setu' between the Government and the citizens. In this sense, 'MY Bharat' will provide a major boost to 'Youth Led development' in the country," it said.