I never got punished as NCC cadet; now my reading habit suffered due to Google: PM Modi

News Network
November 24, 2019

New Delhi, Nov 24: "I never had the desire to enter politics, but now that I am a part of it I give my best on how to work for the people," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

Interacting with a group of National Cadet Corps cadets during his "Mann ki Baat" radio programme, Modi also said that as an NCC cadet in his school days, he never got punished.

Modi admitted that "due to Google", his reading habits have suffered as there is a shortcut available to find references.

When one of the cadets asked him "had you not been a politician, what would you have been," Modi described it as a "difficult question".

"Now this is a very difficult question because every child goes through multiple phases in life. Sometimes one wants to become this, sometimes one wants to become that, but it is true that I never had the desire to enter politics, nor I ever thought about it," he said.

He said but now that he is a politician, "I keep thinking how I can work for the welfare of the country."

The thought that had he not joined politics, what would he be doing never crosses his mind, Modi said.

"Now, wherever I am, I should live life to the fullest and I should wholeheartedly work for my country ... I have now dedicated myself for this purpose only," he said.

Responding to a question on whether he gets time to watch television and read books, he said he was always fond of reading.

He had little interest in watching films and he watches very little TV.

"I used to read books.But these days I am unable to read and due to Google, the habit of reading has deteriorated because if you want to seek a reference, then you immediately find a shortcut. As is the case with everyone, certain habits of mine have also been spoilt," he said.

In response to a question on his NCC days, he said he was never punished "because I was in a way quite disciplined."

He said once a misunderstanding had crept up when he climbed a tree at an NCC camp to save a bird entangled in a kite string.

People first though he would be punished for indiscipline but his action later earned him praise, he recalled.

During the programme, the PM also talked about the significance of Armed Forces Flag Day on December 7.

Paying tributes to the valour of the armed forces, he appealed to the people to contribute towards the well-being of the welfare of the personnel of the armed forces.

He said on the basis of feedback, the 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' programme will be held earlier, sometime in January.

Last year students had complained that the programme was held just before examination, he said.

Comments

Jameel
 - 
Monday, 25 Nov 2019

this "climbing the tree at NCC camp" is an additon to the crocodile kid he brought home. bakwaas ka tho bi ek hadh hota hai. too much imaginary bluff.

JJ
 - 
Sunday, 24 Nov 2019

Enough Sir, you have done enough for the country. Now give way for others. take care of your health.

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News Network
January 2,2020

Perambalur, Jan 2: Veteran Tamil writer Nellai Kannan was arrested in Perambalur for criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah during a protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The Tirunelveli Police had registered the FIR against the writer for the speech delivered at a meeting, which was called by the Social Democratic Party of India on December 29 last year.

The police have booked him on the basis of multiple complaints filed by BJP leaders.

Kannan has been booked under Sections 504, 505(1) and 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code.

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News Network
April 11,2020

Malappuram, Apr 11: Farmers in Malappuram district are facing problems in selling cucumbers and watermelons due to the drop in demand and prices in the market amid the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.

"We have cultivated cucumbers for our Vishu festival in Kerala. In recent conditions, we are facing issues in selling our crops. In comparison to the previous years, we have a huge production this time," said Saifu, a farmer in the Malappuram district.

"We have also cultivated different kinds of watermelons here. The major issues that we are facing are the low prices and the lockdown," he added.

The nationwide COVID-19 lockdown was imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi form March 25 for 21 days as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in Kerala is 364. Till now, 123 people have either been cured or discharged, while two deaths have been reported.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases across the country are 7,529 including 6,634 active cases. So far, 652 patients have either been cured or discharged while 242 deaths have been recorded in the country, as per data provided by the Ministry of Health on Saturday evening.

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News Network
February 18,2020

Beijing, Feb 18: Police in China have arrested a prominent activist who had been a fugitive for weeks and criticised President Xi Jinping's handling of the coronavirus epidemic while in hiding, a rights group said Tuesday.

Anti-corruption activist Xu Zhiyong was arrested on Saturday after being on the run since December, according to Amnesty International.

China's ruling Communist Party has severely curtailed civil liberties since Xi took power in 2012, rounding up rights lawyers, labour activists and even Marxist students.

The death this month of a whistleblowing doctor who was reprimanded by police for raising the alarm about the deadly new virus before dying of it himself triggered rare calls for political reform and freedom of speech.

The "Chinese government's battle against the coronavirus has in no way diverted it from its ongoing general campaign to crush all dissenting voices," said Patrick Poon, China researcher at Amnesty International, in an emailed statement.

Another source, who spoke to news agency on the condition of anonymity, said Xu had been arrested in the southern city of Guangzhou.

Guangzhou police did not respond to requests for comment.

Xu went into hiding after authorities broke up a December gathering of intellectuals discussing political reform in the eastern coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province, prior to the coronavirus crisis.

Over a dozen lawyers and activists were detained or disappeared after the Xiamen gathering, according to rights groups -- and Xu's detention appears linked to his presence at the meeting, explained Poon.

But while on the run, Xu continued to post information on Twitter about rights issues.

On February 4 Xu released an article calling on Xi to step down and criticised his leadership across a range of issues including the US-China trade war, Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests and the coronavirus epidemic, which has now killed nearly 1,900 people.

"Medical supplies are tight, hospitals are filled with patients, and a large number of infected people have no way to be diagnosed," he wrote. "It's a mess."

"The coronavirus outbreak shows just how important values like freedom of expression and transparency are -- the exact values that Xu has long advocated," Yaqiu Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch, told news agency.

But the disappearance of Xu illustrates how the Chinese state "persists in its old ways" by "silencing its critics", she said.

Xu -- who founded a movement calling for greater transparency among high-ranking officials -- previously served a four-year prison sentence from 2013 to 2017 for organising an "illegal gathering".

"That he was a fugitive for so many days while continuing to speak out, that in itself was... a kind of challenge to (Chinese authorities)," said Hua Ze, a long-time friend of Xu who told AFP she lost contact with the Chinese activist on Saturday morning.

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