NEW DELHI: All India Radio and television channels came in for praise for different reasons by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly Mann Ki Baat broadcast today.

Modi was particularly grateful that AIR had chosen to translate his broadcasts in regional languages with radio announcers reading them out on the same night at 8 pm from different regional kendras all over the country.

“I know it is not my voice, but what the listeners hear are my views and I am grateful to AIR for taking this initiative,” Modi said.

He particularly referred to a recording message in an earlier broadcast by a young girl from Kannur Kendra in Kerala and praised the AIR Kendra there for inviting that young girl to award her and take part in a discussion on the subject she had raised. 

Modi encouraged more kendras of AIR to organise similar discussions as this would help increase people’s participation.

Modi also praised several television channels for the manner in which they took up the Swachh Bharat Mission and promoted it.

He particularly lauded channels like the India Today Group, NDTV, ABP News, Zee TV, and ETV, apart from several newspapers all over the country for taking up this cause.

He referred in particular to the Clean India awards of the India Today group, which had revealed to him innovative ways in which people were taking up this Mission, and the ageing Ramoji Rao for his enthusiasm through his television channels and newspapers for promoting this cause.