Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the 135th Mann Ki Baat broadcast on Sunday and publicly thanked citizens for following his appeals to avoid buying gold, postpone non‑essential foreign travel, and conserve fuel.
- Modi cited messages and social‑media accounts to say many families postponed trips, recycled old gold for weddings, began carpooling, and used buses and metros more to save petrol and diesel.
- He highlighted defence and aerospace milestones as signs of self‑reliance, naming the Made‑in‑India C‑295 transport aircraft, the induction of INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak and INS Agray into the navy, and a DRDO long‑range land‑attack cruise missile test.
- The prime minister urged greater uptake of government schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and the 'Catch the Rain' water conservation drive and repeated anti‑superstition and rural‑skill messages.
- Coverage notes these claims of widespread public compliance are based on anecdotal constituent messages and social media posts rather than independent, large‑scale verification, while officials and BJP leaders praised Mann Ki Baat as an effective outreach tool that can shape private behaviour and boost MSME opportunities in defence and aviation.