Mann Ki Baat 138: Modi Marks a Decade of Surgical Strikes, Pushes Census Self-Enumeration

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used Sunday's 138th episode of his monthly radio address, Mann Ki Baat, to mark ten years since the 2016 surgical strikes and to repeat his government's zero-tolerance line on terrorism. He also made a direct appeal to households to take part in the ongoing Census, and gave much of the broadcast to that.

A decade since the surgical strikes

The strikes of September 28-29, 2016 turn ten this week. Modi recalled the Army crossing the Line of Control to hit terrorist launch pads in Pakistan and called the operation a turning point that showed the world a new Indian approach to counter-terrorism.

He linked it to the 2019 Balakot airstrike and Operation Sindoor, and said the message over the decade had been the same each time: any terror attack on India would get a strong military answer. He compared this with an earlier period, citing the 2008 Delhi serial blasts and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, when he said calls for action were often followed by delay. India now follows a zero-tolerance policy and is seeing results, he said.

The Prime Minister also marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the United States. He noted that Indians were the largest group of foreign victims at the World Trade Center after Americans.

The remarks come days after India's sharp exchange with Pakistan at the UN General Assembly. They put national security at the top of a programme that usually leans towards citizen stories.

The Census push

Much of the address dealt with the Census, which Modi called a shared national responsibility. He said the first phase is close to finishing across states and union territories, with records for more than 32 crore families already collected. Enumeration is continuing even in remote, snowbound parts of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand.

He asked citizens to use the self-enumeration option. Households can file their details on the online Census portal from a mobile phone, in Hindi or 16 other languages. The process takes about 15 to 20 minutes, needs no documents, and produces an ID that the household then shares with the visiting enumerator for verification. More than 2.6 crore people have already used it, he said, and accurate household data would help the country plan for the future.

Drugs, cleanliness and local goods

Modi highlighted the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan, a 100-week campaign that uses MY Bharat volunteers, NSS units, schools and colleges, and community groups to steer young people away from drugs. With the festive season near, he asked families to watch out for young people at risk and to support those trying to quit.

Ahead of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, he called for a stronger cleanliness drive. He cited river clean-ups in Madhya Pradesh, stepwell restoration in Andhra Pradesh and beach drives in Mumbai. He also repeated the Vocal for Local pitch, using the example of women's self-help groups in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, which have built an amla-processing business of around 100 units under the One District One Product scheme.

Heritage, ecology and a centenary

Other parts of the address covered Modhera in Gujarat, which Modi described as a temple town that became India's first solar village. He also spoke about the return of elephants to Assam's Sonai Rupai sanctuary after encroachments were cleared, and a pygmy hog breeding programme that has grown from six animals to more than 190.

He paid tribute to former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal, whose birth centenary falls on Sunday. He also noted that around nine crore beneficiaries are now registered on the Poshan Tracker during September's Nutrition Month.

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