Achievers To Take Over Modi's Social Media Accounts On Women's Day

The prime minister also renewed his appeal to people to take measures to deal with the growing problem of obesity, saying it is necessary for India to become a fit and healthy country

New Delhi: Calling on people to celebrate and respect the indomitable spirit of women, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that he will hand over his various social media accounts to women achievers from different walks of life to mark the International Women's Day on March 8.

In his monthly "Mann Ki Baat" address, Modi said these successful women will talk about their work and experience on his social media accounts. "Let us celebrate and respect the indomitable spirit of women," he said, lauding the increasing participation of women in different sectors. The prime minister had handed over his social media accounts to seven leading women from different fields on March 8, 2020 in a similar gesture.

With followers in tens of millions on X, YouTube and Instagram, among other platforms, Modi is one of the most-followed global leaders on social media. The prime minister also renewed his appeal to people to take measures to deal with the growing problem of obesity, saying it is necessary for India to become a fit and healthy country. Citing research, he said one out of eight people is suffering from obesity and their numbers have doubled in the last few years. What is more worrisome is that it has grown four-fold among children, he added.

Modi asked people to cut down on their oil consumption by 10 per cent and said he will request 10 people to do so. Each of them can, in turn, pose a similar challenge to 10 more people, he said. The prime minister played audio messages from some noted personalities, including Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, to impress upon people to take measures to prevent obesity. In the radio broadcast, Modi also appealed to people to try "one day as a scientist" by visiting research laboratories or planetariums to mark the National Science Day on February 28.

"Like space and science, there is another field in which India is rapidly carving out a robust identity -- this field is AI, that is, artificial intelligence. Recently, I went to Paris to participate in a big AI conference. There, the world praised India's progress in this sector. We are also getting to see examples of how people in our country are using AI today," he said.