Mann Ki Baat: In push for local, PM Modi highlights ‘Pencil Village of India’

In hi Mann Ki Baat address, PM Modi said that the Chinar wood in the Kashmir Valley has high moisture content and softness which makes it most suitable for the production of pencils.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the people of the country to promote and buy locally-made products during the festival season. Addressing the nation through Mann Ki Baat, he also listed a unique success story.

A worker packing pencil slates that have been stacked in bags inside a factory in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama.(Waseem Andrabi/HT File Photo)

The prime minister talked about Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir which is emerging as a hub for making pencils.

“Today, Pulwama is playing an important role in educating the entire nation. Today, if the students across the nation do their homework, prepare notes, it is because of the hard work of the people of Pulwama,” PM Modi said in his 70th Mann Ki Baat address.

“Almost 90 per cent of the demand for pencil slate in the country is met by the Kashmir Valley. And Pulwama has a big share in that. At one time, we used to import the wood for pencils, but now, Pulwama is making the country self-reliant in this field,” he added.

PM Modi said that the Chinar wood in the Kashmir Valley has high moisture content and softness which makes it most suitable for the production of pencils.

“Oukhoo in Pulwama is known as the ‘Pencil Village’. There are many units engaged in the production of pencil slates which are generating employment. And in these units, women are working in large numbers. Pulwama earned this distinct identity when locals here decided to do something novel. They took risk and dedicated themselves to it,” said PM Modi.

“I appreciate the brothers and sisters of Pulwama and their families who are making invaluable contribution in educating young minds of India,” the prime minister added.

In his monthly radio address, PM Modi wished people on Dussehra and said that with various festivals coming up, they need to show patience and follow health guidelines in the wake of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

He also paid glowing tributes to India’s first home minister Sardar Patel, whose birth anniversary falls on October 31, and asked people to work for the country’s unity through their words and deeds.

Pm Modi also remembered former prime minister Indira Gandhi, whose death anniversary is on October 31.