Be agents of social change, uphold sanctity of Constitution: PM to governors
Kovind said that they play the role of a bridge between the Union government and states, a statement from the Rashtrapati Bhawan said.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday exhorted governors to become catalytic agents for change in society while upholding the sanctity of the Constitution and motivating students and teachers to contribute towards a “New India” by 2022.
Addressing a conference of governors at Rashtr-apati Bhavan here, he said a “New India” can be achieved only by making it a people’s movement.
Mr Modi also encouraged governors to lead by example on the cause of cleanliness and said Mahatma Gandhi, whose 150th birth anniversary will be celebrated in 2019, is a source of inspiration “as we work towards an open defecation free India”.
The Prime Minister also said that governors can “motivate” banks to give loans under Mudra scheme to tribals, dalits and women, especially in the period between Constitution Day on November 26 and Ambedkar Mahaparinirvana Diwas on December 6. He also encouraged them to interact at length with students and teachers, a PMO statement said.
Giving the example of the recent hackathon conducted by the Union government where students had proposed technology solutions to several problems, the Prime Minister said universities should be centres of innovation. In the same vein, he said youth in every state must focus on one sport, the statement said.
Mr Modi also encouraged lieutenant governors of Union Territories to share the best practices being adopted by them in areas such as solar energy, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of subsidies and making Union Territories kerosene-free. Earlier, President Ram Nath Kovind asked governors to inspire people for making the country free from corruption, poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and unhygienic conditions.
He said the obligation of governors and lieutenant governors to commit themselves to the welfare of the people was more pronounced in the “current paradigm of cooperative federalism”.
Mr Kovind said that they play the role of a bridge between the Union government and states, a statement from the Rashtrapati Bhawan said.