#SelfieWithDaughter trends worldwide after NaMo’s Mann ki Baat

New Delhi: The hashtag #SelfieWithDaughter started trending worldwide today after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked people to post their photos during his radio address Mann ki Baat.

PM Modi made the request referring to a contest started by the sarpanch of a village in Haryana – the state that has acquired a dubious distinction for its skewed sex ratio (the number of females to males).

In the ninth edition of the radio programme ‘Mann ki Baat’ Modi focused on women. Looking forward at the upcoming Raksha Bandhan festival, he asked the people to do something special for the women.  

“Ahead of Raksha Bandhan, I urge you, please enroll the sisters who work for you, at your homes and in your fields, for the Rs. 12 and Rs. 320 social security programmes which will provide them with security in life,” he said. 

In reference to an initiative started by a village sarpanch in Haryana, the PM asked the people to post selfies of themselves with their daughters on microblogging site Twitter.  “I urge all of you, share a #SelfieWithDaughter,” he said. 

In this context, he also mentioned the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative, asking people to post interesting taglines. The most interesting tagline, he said, will be announced in a future edition of Mann ki Baat. 

Haryana has the dubious distinction of being one of the states where female foeticide is rampant. It has the worst sex ratio (number of females per 1,000 males) and child sex ratio in the country. In January, the Prime Minister had launched his Beti Bachao Beti Padao (Save the Girl Child, Educate Her) in the state.   

In the 22-minute episode, the Prime Minister also said the people have demonstrated that there is a will to work.

Since his address on the Independence Day, in which he appealed that toilets to be built in every school, much has been done, he said. It meant building 4.5 lakh toilets – “it was ambitious to hope to finish a year something that had been pending for 60 years,” he said.

Though the work is not entirely finished, it is near completion — there is time before August 15, he said.

In addition, the PM also emphasised on the importance of water conservation, also stressing on the need to plant more trees. 

“A lot of people share suggestions for Mann Ki Baat. This time, a majority of people asked me to talk about the monsoon. Every drop of water is important. It is important to conserve every drop of water… Three schemes for urban development were launched: ‘waste to wealth’ – we need to give importance to this and take things ahead,” the Prime Minister said. 

“This monsoon season, let us plant as many trees as possible,” he added. 

The willingness of the people to work for the country was evident in the success of the International Yoga Day, he said. 

“There is AYUSH department but it never drew much attention. On Yoga Day it was the AYUSH department that led the way,” he said. He also appreciated the efforts the armed forces put in – observing the day from the heights of Siachen to under the sea in submarines.