New Delhi/Varanasi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday expressed joy after seeing the spruced up ghats along the Ganga here, and said the world was now listening to India.
He also declared that the railways will never be privatized.
And in his bid to promote the Clean India campaign, Modi symbolically cleaned a narrow lane near the Assi ghat and nominated nine people as well as groups to take up the cause.
The nine include popular comedian Kapil Sharma, former police officer Kiran Bedi and Mumbai's famed dabba walas who deliver home-made lunch to thousands in that city.
The others are Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya, danseuse Sonal Mansingh, former cricketer Sourav Ganguly, media barons Ramoji Rao and Arun Purie, and the Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
During his day-long visit to Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, Modi inspected the progress of work at Assi ghat, which he visited Nov 8 while launching the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan here.
He walked a few hundred metres towards the ghat, one of the more prominent ones along the Ganga, and thanked the people and NGOs for cleaning its banks.
"These banks, which had become heaps of mud, have been restored to their old glory. I thank all the people who did this work," a visibly pleased prime minister said.
Speaking at the Banaras Hindu University, Modi said the UN decision to declare June 21 as the World Yoga Day was proof that India's voice was now being heard.
He said he had requested the UN in September to declare a World Yoga Day.
"Within 100 days, 177 countries became co-sponsors to this proposal which itself is a world record," he said to thunderous applause.
This, he added, was a changed situation when whatever India said was taken seriously.
At a later function where he laid the foundation stone for the expansion of a locomotive workshop, Modi declared that his government was not privatizing the railways.
"Those who are spreading lies that railways is being privatized... this is not our thought or intention," he said, triggering clapping in the crowd of railway employees and others.
"We don't see railways only as a means to travel. We see it as the backbone of India's development. What we want to do is to put more money for development of railways. This will help."
He said railway universities would be set up in all four parts of India.
The prime minister paid floral tributes at the statue of Madan Mohan Malaviya, the founder of BHU who was nominated for Bharat Ratna only a day earlier.
He also hailed the erstwhile maharaja of Kashi, Vibhuti Narayan Singh, on his death anniversary.
Modi was delayed reaching Varnasi because of bad weather. When the crowds swelled and became restless at one place, he walked up to them and shook hands with some and waved to others. He apologized for the delay.
At the BHU, Modi also urged Indians to grab the global opportunities coming their way and said he wished to see India exporting good teachers to other countries.
Asking theatre and social groups to encourage people to be clean and spread awareness about issues like hunger and female foeticide, Modi said he felt ashamed to hear about children going hungry in India where even stray animals were fed.
He told schools in Varanasi to spread knowledge on the holy Hindu town's rich culture and personalities like Kabir and Tulsidas.
Earlier, at a function at Swatantra Bhawan in the BHU campus, Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani said several of the initiatives undertaken on the education front were Modi's brainchild.
Later, the prime minister laid the foundation stone of a Rs.110 crore Inter-University Centre for Teacher Education, launched the Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching and the Wifi connectivity of the entire BHU campus.
He also inaugurated a five-day cultural festival.
READ MORE: Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee & Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya
Here we are giving you the live updates of Modi's visit to his parliamentary constituency.
4: 02pm- Modi:If we establish 2 skill development centres at every such railway station,we can utilize railway resources without investing extra money
4: 00pm- Modi:Railways has electricity,infrastructure & widespread network,there are small stations in villages where train arrives once in a day
3: 58pm- Modi:I will give you an example of how development can take place with help of Railways
3: 56pm- Modi:My life is made of Railways, no body can love Railways more than me
3: 54pm- Modi:People who are spreading rumors of privatization of Railways are completely wrong
3: 52pm- Modi:I want our nation to develop with development of Railways
3: 50pm- Modi: There is nothing a country with majority of population below 35 years of age, cannot do
3:45pm- Modi: Why can't we fulfill our requirements by production within our nation only?
3:40pm- PM Narendra Modi inaugurates expansion of Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW)
02:50 pm - PM Modi leaves for DLW
02:35 pm - After my experience of six months I can say the world is looking at India: Modi
02:32 pm - A tourist will come here drawn to the beautiful past but he or she will stay when we create systems that make them stay here: Modi
02:31 pm - Every school can develop a mastery on any one aspect of Varanasi and this can be a great way to showcase Kashi: Modi
02:30 pm - Our culture is our strength be it our songs, dance, art...these are very precious: Modi
02:28 pm - The proposal at UN to celebrate 'World Yoga Day' was passed in just 100 days & 177 nations have co-sponsored it,it's a world record
02:26 pm - Through training a lot can be done. And if we can train such teachers, we can give good teachers to the world: Modi
02:24 pm - Good education is connected with good teachers, we must innovate new ideas so that there are good teachers in the society: Modi
02:23 pm - A student who wants to become a teacher will never only study for exams. He or she will closely observe the teachers & get inspired: Modi
02:20 pm - Can we not create an environment where children want to dream to become good teachers. How can we do this: Modi
02:19 pm - If you ask your driver what he wants, he'll say he wants good education for his children: Modi
02:18 pm - Good education is linked with good teachers. We need to think about how we can have good teachers: Modi
02:18 pm - Today the entire world requires good teachers: Modi
02:16 pm - Our education apparatus can't be one that produces robots, there must be overall personality development: Modi
02:02 pm - 21st century is an era of knowledge, we have to contribute something or the other that benefits the world at large: Modi
02:10 pm - I am honoured to come to BHU on Pt.Madan Mohan Malaviya's birth anniversary: Modi
02:00 pm - PM Modi lays foundation stone of an inter-university centre for teachers' education
01:50 pm - PM Modi reaches Swatantrata Bhawan Complex of BHU
01:25 pm - Today is 25th December, greeting to everyone on the occasion of Christmas. Today is also the birth anniversary of Madan Mohan Malaviya. I also greet Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 90th birthday. Today, I also remember Kashi Naresh, Vibhuti Narayan Singh, on his death anniversary. He scarified his life for the betterment of Varanasi.
01:20 pm - Today I nominate more people to join the mission. They are: Nagaland Governor, Kiran Bedi, Sonal Manshingh, Kapil Sharma, Sourav Ganguly, Ramoji Rao and Eenadu group, Arun Poorie and India Today group, IICAI and Mumbai's dabbawalas.
01:15 pm - I am thankful to the people of Kashi and several organisations working here... The ghat holds significance in itself... It represents Varanasi. Last month, in November, I had visited here and started the cleanliness drive... I am thankful to everyone for their contribution in making this ghat clean.
On October 2, the cleanliness drive was launched and it has received recognition across the nation.
From the bank of River Ganga, I express my thankfulness to everyone who have contributed in this mission
01:10 pm - PM Modi reaches Assia ghat to inspect the progress of the cleanliness drive which he had launched during his last visit to the constituency in November
01:00 pm - Narendra Modi garlands statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya at BHU in Varanasi
12:50 pm - PM Modi arrives at BHU
12:20 pm - PM Modi arrives at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport
11:am - PM Modi leaves Delhi for Varanasi.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, MoS for Culture Mahesh Sharma and state BJP president Laxmikant Bajpai have been camping in the city since last night.
Reports said that Malaviya's grandson, Giridhar Malaviya, is likely to present the Prime Minister with the historical Conch Shell which his father Govind Malaviya had blown at the Parliament on August 15, 1947 to announce country's Independence.
Modi is also expected to launch the Varanasi Mahotsav.
Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure peaceful celebrations in the city. Besides SPG, 12 companies of PAC, 5 companies each of RAF and CRPF, 12 SPs, 8 ASPs, 10 Dy SPs have been deployed.
Before flying to Varanasi, Modi met former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his residence, 6-A, Krishna Menon Marg and wished him on his birthday.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has decided to observe December 25 as ‘Good Governance Day'.
On Wednesday, Vajpayee and late freedom fighter-educationist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya were named for India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.
Meanwhile, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has launched a webpage to mark Good Governance Day. The webpage is a one-stop information resource on Vajpayee.
