Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the 123rd edition of his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, announced an important public health achievement that the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared India “tracoma-free”.
Highlighting this achievement, PM Modi credited this for the untiring efforts of the health workers of the upper line of the country. “We had resolved to eliminate the trachoma and I am happy to tell you that the World Health Organization has declared India as a trachoma -free. It is the result of the efforts of millions of people who fought this disease.
He also acknowledged the important role of national initiatives like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Jal Jeevan Mission, which contributed significantly to ending the root causes of Trachoma.
He said, “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” also played a major role in its eradication. He said, “Jal Jeevan Mission has also contributed significantly to this success. Now when clean water is reaching every house in every house, the risk of such diseases has reduced considerably. WHO has also appreciated that India did not only deal with this disease, but also addressed its basic causes.
On October 8, 2024, the World Health Organization announced that the Government of India has abolished Tracoma as a public health problem.
Trachoma is a bacterial -generated eye infection that can cause blindness if treatment is not done. It was once widely spread in many regions of India.
He said, “The first achievement is related to our health. Many of you must have heard about eye disease trachoma. The disease spreads from bacteria and there was a time when this disease was common in many parts of India. If it is not taken care of, the disease causes blindness going on further.”
Meanwhile, during his address, PM Modi also condemned the imposition of emergency in the country and described this period as one of the most dark chapters in India’s democratic history.
He said that the country is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Emergency as a “Constitution Hurry Day”.
He also ran a rare audio of former Prime Ministers Morarji Desai, Babu Jagjivan Ram and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in which he described the Emergency as a constitutional murder, collective arrests and the time of suppression of civil freedom and freedom of the press.
The Prime Minister said that every citizen should remember those who fought “bravery” against the Emergency and it also inspires us to be “alert” for the “protection” of the Constitution.
PM Modi said, “Morarji Desai has briefly described the emergency … Emergency not only killed democracy, but his intention was to maintain his puppet … Under ‘Misa’, no one could arbitrarily arrested, people could be tortured … Indians could be defeated to compromise and finally, the people won and the emergency. Jagjivan Ram spoke about this in a very strong way. “
Misa refers to the Internal Security Act, which is a large -scale law used to keep political opponents in custody during the Emergency.