PM says he usually tries visiting his mother on birthdays: 'Couldn't today…'

PM Modi birthday: Leaders across political parties wished PM Modi as he turns 72.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned 72 on Saturday, had an eventful morning as he launched the Project Cheetah, which has brought back the big cats to India after 70 years. Cheetah had gone extinct in the country in 1952, but thanks to a memorandum of understanding with Namibia, eight big cats have now found their home in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park.

(File photo) Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets his mother Heeraben Modi in Gandhinagar. (PIB)

Hours after the big launch, PM Modi addressed an event of female members of self-help groups. In his address, the prime minister recalled birthday visits to his mother Heeraben Modi. “Usually, on this day, I try to visit my mother, touch her feet and take her blessings,” he shared.

“But today, I could not go… But lakhs of women in Madhya Pradesh.. Mothers are giving me their blessings,” he added. “Between the last century, and this century, a huge change that has come has been in the representation of women in the country. From village bodies to the President's House, women power has been ruling the country,” he underlined.

"Our government is working continuously to create new possibilities for women entrepreneurs in the village economy. Through 'One District, One Product' we are trying to take local products from every district to big markets. In the last eight years, we have helped in every way to empower the Self Help Groups. Today, over 8 crore women across the country are associated with this campaign. We aim to have at least one sister from every rural household associated with this campaign," he stressed.