"Stay united, don’t fall for divisive forces": PM Modi

• PM Modi calls for unity against forces seeking to divide India
• He urged citizens to focus on self-reliance at a global summit
• The goal is to align national development with 2047 targets

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that new challenges had emerged before the country over the past decades and that new distortions

had arisen in society. He said citizens must be awakened to the importance of self-reliance.

Addressing the Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav Global Sammelan at Bharat Mandapam

, the Prime Minister said society must unite against forces seeking to divide the country.

Must connect every individual: PM Modi

“Over the past decades, time has changed, new challenges have emerged before the country, and new distortions have arisen in society. Today, the responsibility of resolving them rests on all of us. Today, we must unite society against the forces that seek to divide us. We must awaken our fellow citizens towards self-reliance. We must connect every individual to the resolve for a developed India by 2047. For these objectives, we must become even more active,” the Prime Minister said.

He added, “Those of us who desire the welfare of the nation will awaken and advance the nation. Swami Chinmayananda lived his entire life embracing this very mantra. With the same devotion with which he spoke on spiritual subjects, he was equally prompt in passionately delivering lectures on matters concerning the nation. This is because our nation is the birthplace of our culture. This nation is the very foundation of our existence.”

PM Modi hails Chinmaya Mission

Praising the Chinmaya Mission, the Prime Minister noted that, through its efforts, millions of young people were working as cultural ambassadors for India. “These young people are carrying Indian values forward to new generations,” he observed.

Referring to 2047, when India will complete 100 years of independence, the Prime Minister noted, “During the same period, Chinmaya Mission will also celebrate its centenary year. This means the centenary journey of Chinmaya Mission and the journey towards a developed India will progress together. Therefore, our goals are one, our objectives are one, and we must take this journey forward together.”