Prime Minister Narendra  Modi on Sunday asked people to adopt solar power in a big way which, he said, would not only save their electricity bill and cut cost of electricity-generated production but  also give them an opportunity to sell it and earn money.

Modi began his conversation in his monthly radio-talk 'mann ki baat' by greeting people on 'Chhath' festival.

"Today, Chhath, the great festival of sun worship is being celebrated in many parts of the country.

Lakhs of devotees have reached their villages, their homes, their families to be a part of the ‘Chhath’ festival. I pray that Chhath Maiya bless everyone with prosperity and well being", he said.

The tradition of worshiping the Sun is a proof of how deep our culture, our faith, is related to nature, said Modi. "Through this puja the importance of sunlight in our life has been illustrated. Along with this, the message has also been conveyed that ups and downs are an integral part of life. Therefore, we should maintain a uniform poise have in every situation", said the Prime Minister.

While talking of Sun worship, Modi drew people's attention to the benefits of solar energy accruing in all activities including business.

"So today, along with worshiping the Sun, why not also discuss his boon! This blessing of Sun God is – ‘Solar Energy’... today, we have become one of the largest countries to generate electricity from solar energy,” said Modi.

The Prime Minister mentioned  Modhera village  in Gujarat becoming  the first fully-lighted  solar village in the country and informed listeners as how solar energy is changing the lives of the poor and middle class of the country.

Modi revealed it was the wish of the Secretary General of the UN himself to visit Modhera, the first solar-electrified village in India. In Tamil Nadu, he said, there is a farmer in Kancheepuram, Thiru K. Ezilon who taking the benefit of ‘PM Kusum Yojana’  got a solar pumpset of ten horsepower installed in his farm.

"Now they do not have to spend anything on electricity for their farm. They are not even dependent on the government’s electricity supply for irrigation in the field any more.

“Similarly, in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, another beneficiary farmer of ‘KusumYojana’ is – Kamalji Meena. Kamal ji installed a solar pump in the field, due to which his expenses have come down.”

The Prime Minister pointed that the solar energy is also providing people opportunities to earn money too. Can you ever imagine that on using electricity for a month, instead of getting your electricity bill, you get paid for electricity? Solar energy has also demonstrated that.

After talking about the Solar energy, the Prime Minister drew attention  towards space saying a  few days ago India has placed 36 satellites in space simultaneously.  He said since the space sector was opened for India’s youth and revolutionary changes have started coming in it.

Talking of research, the Prime  Minister  said he had talked about "making this decade the Techade of India." "I loved seeing this; our IIT’s students have also taken over its command. This month on 14-15 October, all 23 IITs came on one platform for the first time to showcase their innovations and research projects.. displayed more than 75 best projects. Healthcare, Agriculture, Robotics, Semiconductors, 5G Communications, these projects were made on many such themes."

He mentioned about a team from IIT Bhubaneswar developing  a portable ventilator for new born babies. It runs on battery and can be used easily in remote areas.

While speaking on the theme of protecting environment, the Prime Minister cited  Suresh Kumar from Bangaluru, Karnataka, who 20 years ago took initiative to rejuvenate a forest of Sahakarnagar in the city.  “The saplings have grown into 40 feet tall huge trees. Now their beauty captivates everyone’s mind,” he said.