Kumar Bahukhandi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an address. In the 137th episode of Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, August 30, 2026, he highlighted the campaign for a drug-free India, women’s economic empowerment through PM SVANidhi and opportunities for girl students in satellite technology under Mission ShaktiSAT. Photo: PMO/PIB
Prime Minister says nearly 35 lakh women have benefited from PM SVANidhi; Mission ShaktiSAT is training 12,000 girl students from 108 countries in satellite technology
Key Highlights
- Modi calls for a nationwide effort to protect young people from drug addiction
- Women constitute around 46% of PM SVANidhi beneficiaries
- Nearly 35 lakh women are using the street-vendor scheme to expand their livelihoods
- 12,000 girl students from 108 countries are being introduced to satellite technology through Mission ShaktiSAT
- Student-led satellite project aims ultimately at sending a satellite into lunar orbit
- PM highlights grassroots cleanliness initiatives in Rampur and during the Amarnath Yatra
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday August 30, 2026 used the 137th episode of Mann Ki Baat to bring together three themes with a strong bearing on India’s younger generation — freedom from drug addiction, economic empowerment of women and the growing participation of girls in science and space technology.
Calling the ‘Nasha-Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat’ campaign a collective national endeavour, Modi said drug addiction does not harm an individual alone but has consequences for the entire family and society.
He appealed particularly to young Indians to turn awareness against drugs into a wider social movement. Musicians could compose songs carrying the message of a drug-free life, students and theatre groups could stage short plays explaining both the dangers of addiction and the route to recovery, while digital creators could spread the message through social media in different Indian languages.
“Let us all play our part in this noble mission to keep India’s youth away from drugs and free from addiction,” the Prime Minister said.
Women Street Vendors Find New Economic Strength
Modi devoted significant attention to women who earn their livelihood on the streets of India’s cities and towns — selling vegetables, fruits, flowers and other goods or operating small food and tea stalls.
He said limited access to capital had traditionally prevented many such small businesses from expanding, but PM SVANidhi was helping change that equation.
According to figures cited by the Prime Minister, women account for approximately 46 per cent of beneficiaries under PM SVANidhi, translating into nearly 35 lakh women using the scheme to strengthen or expand their businesses.
The programme provides eligible street vendors access to collateral-free working-capital loans and is intended to help bring small urban livelihoods into the formal financial system.
Modi cited individual success stories, including Bengaluru’s T.S. Ningamma, who, along with her husband, started a small idli, dosa and sambar business and subsequently received support under PM SVANidhi.
From Classrooms to Lunar Orbit
The Prime Minister then turned to an altogether different frontier of women’s empowerment — space.
“Today, the flight of our daughters’ dreams is soaring from the earth to outer space,” he said while highlighting Mission ShaktiSAT.
The initiative is bringing together 12,000 girl students from 108 countries, giving them exposure to satellite technology and opportunities in science and innovation.
The second phase of Mission ShaktiSAT began at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida on National Space Day, August 23, bringing together around 100 selected students from India and other countries, including girls from remote regions of India.
Its larger objective is particularly ambitious: preparations are underway for a satellite developed entirely through the participation of girl students to eventually be sent into the Moon’s orbit.
“I am confident that many of these students will carve out a distinct identity for themselves in the fields of science, technology and innovation in the future,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted community-driven cleanliness efforts, including the work of young volunteers at Patwai in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district. He referred to similar efforts during the Amarnath Yatra, where waste generated by horses and mules was converted into biogas and the resulting clean energy used for the ‘Swachh Jyot’.
The address came while Modi was on an official visit to Uzbekistan. His August 29-30 stay there forms part of a foreign tour that also includes the Kyrgyz Republic.
