Prime Minister Narendra Modi Urges Collective Effort to Build a ‘Drug-Free India’

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted Mumbai-based Krishna Seshadri's initiative, India's Interactive Historical Atlas, to make the country's history more accessible and interesting. He also urged citizens, especially young people and content creators, to contribute to the campaign for a drug-free Bharat.

In the 137th episode of his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi spoke on Seshadri's initiative, 'BharatRajya' saying, "You go to this website, choose any one year, and you will get to know who ruled which part of Bharat at that time. This was done by Mumbai's Krishna Sheshadri."

The Prime Minister said he came across Seshadri's initiative on social media on the occasion of Ashadha Ekadashi and found the idea interesting.

The website, allows users to select a particular year and learn about the rulers and kingdoms that existed in different parts of India during that period.

PM Modi praised Seshadri's effort and said, "His effort will not only be beneficial for students of history, but it will also help us learn history in an interesting manner."

Designed to make the complex geopolitical history of the Indian subcontinent engaging and accessible, the website allows users to seamlessly navigate through more than a thousand districts across multiple centuries of structural and political transformations.

The website features a dynamic slider spanning thirteen centuries - from 700 CE to the present day - allowing users to enter any specific year to track shifting borders and territorial expansions in real-time.

Rather than providing generalised maps, the custom database maps exactly who held power at a micro-level, showing transitioning borders between prominent regimes - including the Mughal Empire, Maratha Empire, and regional princely states.

Built with a strict educational mission, the platform's underlying mapping data is completely open-source under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. This allows students, teachers, content creators, and media houses to freely copy, remix, and print the map layouts without requiring prior permission or copyright clearance.

During the episode, the Prime Minister also spoke about the ongoing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, which he said is gaining momentum across the country.

"The goal is clear--drug-free youth, drug-free India," PM Modi said, emphasising the collective resolve to ensure the health, happiness and bright future of the country's youth.

He said drug addiction does not affect only an individual, but its consequences are felt by the entire family and society.

The Prime Minister commended those working to create awareness about drugs and helping people struggling with addiction. He also urged citizens to come up with creative ways to spread the message of a drug-free life.

PM Modi also called upon content creators to produce material in different Indian languages and share it on social media. "There is no dearth of excellent content creators in India," he said, adding that "creative efforts can sometimes be more effective than formal campaigns".

PM spotlights inspiring women from Nagaland, Odisha

The Prime Minister highlighted the inspiring journeys of a flower cultivator from Nagaland and women involved in forest conservation in Odisha, saying that passion, hard work and proper guidance can open new livelihood opportunities. "Sometimes a small hobby opens the door to great possibilities in life. The journey of Vesalu Puro from the Phek district of Nagaland is a case in point," the Prime Minister said.

"Vesalu ji grew up in a farming family; she had watched her parents farm since childhood and had a deep love for flowers. In 2021, she began cultivating flowers on a small scale, driven by this very passion," he added. The Prime Minister said that Puro gradually recognised the growing demand for flowers during weddings and festivals and decided to turn her hobby into a livelihood opportunity. (ANI)

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