Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi flags perils of drug abuse, highlights opportunities for girls in space industry

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged the dangers of drug addiction, highlighted the economic avenues opening up for women and girls in India, including in the space industry, and lauded the cleanliness initiatives being undertaken by citizens.

“Drug addiction does not just engulf a single individual. The entire family and society have to bear the consequences,” Mr. Modi said in his 137th ‘Mann ki Baat’ episode on Sunday (August 30, 2026). “I would like to commend those who raise awareness against drugs and step forward to help individuals struggling with addiction.”

The Prime Minister urged young musicians to produce songs that convey the message of a drug-free life, students and theatre groups to write short plays that highlight the dangers of drugs while also showing the path to recovery, and content creators to spread the message on social media in various languages.

“From morning till evening, lakhs of women across the streets of our cities and towns are engaged in their work,” the Prime Minister noted. “Some sell vegetables or fruits, others run tea stalls, while some sell flowers, earthen lamps, and worship materials.”

He added that, often, a lack of capital prevents such businesses from growing further.

“But now, lakhs of such mothers and sisters are gaining new strength through the PM SVANidhi Yojana,” Mr. Modi said. “This aspect of women’s empowerment is not discussed as much as it should be. Women account for approximately 46% of the beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi Yojana.”

This, he explained, meant that around 35 lakh women across the country are expanding their businesses by connecting with this scheme. PM SVANidhi Yojana is a Central Government scheme aimed at providing affordable and easy working capital loans without any guarantee to street vendors and hawkers in urban areas.

“Today the flight of our daughters’ dreams is soaring from the earth to outer space,” Mr. Modi told listeners of his radio show. “And you will be proud to know that India is bringing together thousands of daughters who are nurturing such dreams, from across the globe. This initiative is named ‘Mission ShaktiSAT’.”

Through this initiative, 12,000 girl students from 108 countries are getting the opportunity to learn satellite technology and to advance in the field of innovation, he said.

On August 23rd, dubbed National Space Day, the second phase of Mission ShaktiSAT was launched at the Gautam Buddha University, where around 100 female students from India, including from India’s remote regions, and various other countries came together.

“The goal of this entire initiative is truly special: preparations are underway to send a satellite — developed entirely through the participation of female students — into lunar orbit,” Mr. Modi said. “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.”

“Cleanliness has a remarkable quality,” the Prime Minister emphasised. “When the resolve to keep a place clean becomes the people’s own commitment, the transformation is not limited merely to tidiness; it completely changes the identity of that place. Such efforts towards cleanliness in various parts of the country constantly inspire us.”

He took note of cleanliness initiatives by the youth in a village named Patwai in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, and by the sanitation workers and pilgrims on the recent Amarnath Yatra.

“A unique experiment also took place here: dung from the horses and mules used during the pilgrimage was converted into biogas, and this clean energy was used to light the ‘Swachh Jyot’,” Mr. Modi said. “In essence, cleanliness became a form of service and faith during this holy pilgrimage to Baba Barfani.”