Praises captain Paras Dogra, bowler Aaqib Nabi
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Mar 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hailed J&K’s maiden Ranji Trophy victory, calling it a “historic” achievement during the 132nd episode of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
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In his address during the broadcast, the Prime Minister said the past month had been “full of excitement and enthusiasm” for cricket fans, highlighting India’s T20 World Cup triumph as well as J&K’s landmark domestic success.
He noted that the J&K team clinched its first-ever Ranji Trophy title after nearly seven decades, describing it as a moment of immense pride.
Referring to the triumph, he said, “By winning this match, the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team secured the Ranji Trophy. It is most heartening to note that, after a long wait of nearly seven decades, the team achieved its first Ranji Trophy title.”
Modi credited the victory to years of sustained effort by players and support staff, singling out Paras Dogra for his leadership. He also praised young Kashmiri bowler Aaqib Nabi.
“Team captain Paras Dogra displayed extraordinary skills. Through his leadership, he played a significant role in this victory,” he said.
He added, “The performance of young Kashmiri bowler Aaqib Nabi, who took 60 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, is being talked about nationwide.”
The Prime Minister said the achievement has boosted enthusiasm for sports among youth in J&K and expressed hope that it would inspire more young people to take up sports.
“This impressive performance on the cricket field has further increased enthusiasm for sports among the youth there. In the future, it will inspire many young people to take up sports,” he said.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir have a tremendous passion for sports,” he added.
He further noted that the region is emerging as a hub for major sporting events, citing Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg and the growing popularity of football among local youth.
Local cricketers in Baramulla welcomed the Prime Minister’s remarks, calling them a morale booster for players in the region.
Zubair Ahmad Dar said he was thankful to the PM for mentioning Aaqib Nabi and the team, but stressed the need for better infrastructure.
He said the Ranji win came despite limited facilities and added that upgraded infrastructure could significantly improve performance. He also expressed hope for hosting IPL matches in J&K.
Another local cricketer, Omar Azhar Kakroo, said the Prime Minister’s praise would “encourage the team as well as the management,” adding that locals now aspire to see Aaqib Nabi represent India at the international level.
PTI adds:- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged all citizens to join hands to overcome the “challenging” situation emerging due to the ongoing “fierce war” in West Asia.
Addressing his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Modi also cautioned those politicising the present crisis and said there is no place for self-serving politics in the prevailing situation.
He said those who are spreading rumours are causing major harm to the country.
“Presently, a fierce war is going on in our neighbourhood for a month. These certainly are challenging times. Today, through ‘Mann Ki Baat’, I would once again urge all my countrymen that we must unitedly overcome this challenge,” the Prime Minister said.
Those who are politicising this issue should refrain from doing so as this is a matter concerning the interests of 140 crore citizens. There is no place for self-serving politics, he said.
“I would also appeal to all citizens to remain vigilant and not be misled by rumours. Trust only the continuous information provided by the government and take action based only on that,” he added.
As always, Modi said, he was confident that just as the people of the country have overcome past crises with their collective strength, this time too, “we will together emerge victorious from this difficult situation”.
He said millions of Indian family members live in these Gulf countries and are working there.
“I am deeply grateful to the Gulf countries, which are providing all kinds of assistance to more than 1 crore such Indians living there,” he said.
Modi urged citizens to reduce their sugar intake and cut down on cooking oil by 10 per cent, saying such small efforts will keep people away from obesity and lifestyle diseases.
He said many people have commented on Instagram content creator Yuvraj Dua’s post, in which he had requested the Prime Minister to ask his father to reduce his sugar intake.
“I am happy that my request had a positive impact on his father. I would urge all of you to reduce your sugar intake, and as I have said earlier, we also need to cut down on cooking oil by 10 per cent. These small efforts will keep you away from obesity and lifestyle diseases,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister said he has always urged everyone to pay attention to fitness.Modi highlighted the Gyan Bharatam Survey, under which information about old manuscripts is collected.
Modi urged people to share information about such documents if they come across them for their proper verification and preservation.
He said the objective of the initiative of Gyan Bharatam Survey is to collect information about manuscripts across the country, and one way to participate in this survey is through the Gyan Bharatam App.
“If you have a manuscript or information about it, do share its image on the Gyan Bharatam App. Information related to each entry is being verified before it is recorded. I am glad that thousands of manuscripts have been shared so far,” he said.
Nearly 50 lakh artificial water harvesting structures have been created across the country under the ‘Jal Sanchay Abhiyan’ and 70,000 lakes were made under the ‘Amrit Sarovar Abhiyan’ in the last 11 years.
Prime Minister said that with the onset of summer in many parts of the country, it is time to renew the commitment to water conservation.
He said that over the last 11 years, the ‘Jal Sanchay Abhiyan’ has created a lot of awareness among the people, with nearly 50 lakh artificial water harvesting structures created across the country under the campaign.
” I am happy to see that community-level efforts are now underway in every village to address the water crisis. At some places, old ponds are being cleaned; at others, efforts are being made to conserve rainwater,” he said.
Modi highlighted the benefits of the ‘PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana’ and said its impact is being observed in every corner of the country.
The household rooftop solar scheme, said to be the world’s largest such initiative, aims to supply solar power to one crore households by March 2027.
The Prime Minister said if anyone visits any city, big or small, today, he or she will surely notice a change – solar panels installed on the rooftops of a large number of homes.
“Until a few years ago, this was only seen in a few homes. But today, the impact of the ‘PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana’ is being observed in every corner of the country,” Modi said
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