Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked his countrymen to light lamps for the soldiers guarding the nation's borders, and to go “vocal for local” in their festival shopping.
“We have to remember our soldiers who are on the borders during these festivities, protecting Bharat Mata. We must light a lamp in the honour of these sons and daughters of Bharat Mata. I want to tell our brave soldiers that you may be at the borders but the whole nation is with you,” the Prime Minister said during his ‘Mann ki Baat' radio address.
Tens of thousands of Indian soldiers have been locked in a standoff with Chinese forces in high-altitude terrain in Eastern Ladakh since May.
Greeting the nation on Dussehra, Modi urged people to remain mindful of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and to buy Indian products.
“When you go shopping during these festivals please remember we have to give priority to local products. …Today when we are going vocal for local, the world is also becoming a fan of our products. Many of our local products have the potential to become global. Today Khadi is regarded as an eco-friendly fabric. It is not only becoming a fashion statement, but is also being manufactured across…