Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his thoughts with the nation on 'Mann ki baat' program at 11 am on Sunday the 26th July 2015. He reminded the valour of the country’s armed forces during the 1999 Kargil conflict and the sacrifices made by them, Prime Minister Narendra Modi saluted the soldiers and said the war wasn’t just fought on the border but saw a contribution from all villages and cities.

“Kargil ke yuddh mein, hamara ek-ek jawan sau-sau dushmanon par bhari pada (During the Kargil war, each of our jawans proved stronger than a hundred of the enemy),” the PM said in his monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat. The day is observed as Kargil Vijay Diwas.

“I salute the brave soldiers who thwarted the evil designs of the enemy without caring for their own lives. The Kargil war was not fought only on the border, but every village, every city has contributed to it,” Modi said.

“This war was fought by those mothers and sisters whose sons and brothers were on the battlefield. It was fought by those girls who had just got married, those fathers who gave their sons and felt young themselves and those sons who had not even learnt to walk properly, holding the finger of their father. It is because of their sacrifices that India can hold its head high in the world,” PM said.

The PM also said that his government is planning to bring a road transportation and safety Bill to tackle the high number of road accidents in the country. Cashless treatment would be provided to the accident victims, he said.

“Whether it is education relating to road safety, road-engineering, enforcing the law, or providing emergency care to those injured in an accident, we are going to bring a road transport and safety Bill with all these points in mind,” he said.

“It is a matter of concern that every minute one road accident takes place in the country and that every four minutes, one person dies in the mishap. One- third of the deaths are in the 15-25 age group,” he said during the 10th edition of the Mann ki Baat program.

Modi expressed grief over the death of the young man, while sharing his concern over the high rate of fatalities in road accidents. Vinay Jindal, 20, a BBA student, died after the scooty he was riding was rammed by a speeding car in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area on Monday night.  He lay there bleeding and writhing in pain. Several cars and motorbikes passed by, but no one bothered to help. Vinay died of excessive bleeding, two days before his sister’s wedding.

Vinay’s family was pleasantly surprised and thanked the Prime Minister for remembering him. “It was an honour,” said Mahendra Gupta, Vinay’s uncle. “I was surprised that the PM took notice of this case. It shows how sensitive he is. He has the responsibility of the entire nation and yet he took time to mention the case. He urged the people to be sensitive and help whenever they see such a case instead of just walking away as it concerns someone’s life. Now, since the PM has said it, I am assured that what happened to my son, will not happen to someone else,” Gupta said.

By Premji