Uttarakhand CM Dhami lauds PM Modi’s efforts in making Mana’s ‘Bhoj Patra’ famous

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], July 30 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday listened to the 103rd edition of Prime Miniter Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ along with PM’s ‘Swanidhi’ family at the CM’s residence today and lauded his efforts for making Mana’s ‘Bhoj Patra’ famous among the pilgrims.

Taking to  Twitter, CM Dhami said, “Today, in the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji mentioned the letter written by the women of Neeti-Mana valley of Chamoli district. It is the result of the appeal made by PM Modi to the country’s first village, Mana, that pilgrims coming here are buying the products made of ‘Bhoj Patra’ as well as the local products at good prices”.

“‘Bhoj Patra’ is a part of the ancient heritage of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. Our government is continuously working towards preserving and promoting all the cultural heritage of the state”, the Uttarakhand CM added.

Mana village is located in Uttarakhand. It is proximate to the Indo-Tibetan border.

Notably, PM Narendra Modi, in the 103rd edition of the ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme, said that some of the letters written to him by the mothers and sisters of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand are heart-warming.

“The women and sisters of Uttarakhand have given a lot of blessings to their son and brother (PM Modi). They wrote that they had never imagined that ‘Bhoj Patra’, which has been their cultural heritage, could become a source of their livelihood”, said Prime Minister Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi further said, “These letters have been written to me by the women of Niti-Mana valley of the Chamoli district. These are the women who presented me with a unique artwork on Bhojpatra in October last year. I was overwhelmed by receiving this gift. Since ancient times, our scriptures and books have been preserved on these Bhojpatras. The Mahabharata was also written on this Bhojpatra. Today, these women of Devbhoomi are making very beautiful artefacts and souvenirs from this Bhojpatra”.

Furthermore, the PM said that he had appealed to the tourists of Uttarakhand to encourage purchasing local products.

“During my visit to the Mana village, I appealed to the tourists coming to Devbhoomi Uttarakhand to purchase the local products in large numbers. It has had a massive impact. Today, products made of ‘Bhoj Patra’ are widely adored by tourists”, said the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand CM said, “Through the Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat program, people get inspiration to do commendable work in various fields of society. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government is promoting local products as well as branding them. Along with good arrangements for packaging and marketing, training is also being imparted to the local people in various fields”.

“In October last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to devotees from across the country to Mana to spend at least 5 per cent of their pilgrimage on local products. Due to this, there is a rapid increase in the livelihood of the people at the local level and local products are being promoted”, added CM Dhami.

Significantly, as the celebrations for Independence Day are around the corner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that a great campaign titled ‘Meri Mati Mera Desh’ will be launched to honour our fallen bravehearts.