A report on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ by the Institute for Competitiveness was released at a media conference event on Friday according to which each episode of the programme inspired viewers to work for society’s advancement.
“Mann Ki Baat has transformed into an inspirational platform that is encouraging sustainable progress on priority themes that are core to India’s efforts towards achieving the SDGs [sustainable development goals],” the report said.
The report said that Mann Ki Baat came across as a more relevant, contextual, and approachable programme to listeners because of its conversational, personable tone and useful topic matter.
Also Read: Behind the scenes: PM Modi’s process of recording monthly radio show ‘Mann Ki Baat’ revealed
Additionally, it identified five major themes: sanitation and hygiene, wellness and health, water conservation, and sustainable development.
The detailed report is the outcome of a thorough examination of the 99 transcripts of episodes released between 2014 and 2023. The textual analysis of the episodes was carried out by the study team using two unique tools dubbed WordStat and Atlas.
The report is a thorough compilation of a “decade of reflection” on the contribution that PM Modi’s platform has made to inspire people to take action and bring about societal change.
The report was launched on Thursday by Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharati; Akash Tripathi, CEO at MyGov; and Dr Amit Kapoor, who is the chairman of IFC in the presence of Dr Mark Esposito, Hult International Business School and Harvard University professor; Hari Menon, who is the country director at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and Dr Michael Green, CEO of the Social Progress Imperative.
“Mann Ki Baat is unparalleled in its reach. As per a recent study, it has reached over 100 crore listeners at least once. Mann Ki Baat has been translated into 22 Indian languages, 29 dialects, and 11 foreign languages by All India Radio,” Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO, Prasar Bharati said at the report launch.
“In addition to English, the programme is broadcast in 11 foreign languages, including French, Chinese, Indonesian, Tibetan, Burmese, Baluchi, Arabic, Pashtu, Persian, Dari, and Swahili. The programme is currently being aired by over 500 broadcast centres of All India Radio,” Dwivedi added.
The report further mentioned how the topics from Mann Ki Baat have contributed to new initiatives or movements such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Ayushman Bharat, Covid-19 vaccination, eSanjeevani, Fit India Movement, Jalshakti Abhiyan, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Namami Gange, Digital India and women empowerment.
The report said that Mann Ki Baat emphasises the importance of startups and MSMEs in building an independent India while enticing people of all ages to get involved in social and environmental causes.
Listeners of the show have participated in local change-making projects in an effort to make a long-lasting and sustainable impact, the report stated.
Also Read: PM Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ 100th episode to be broadcast live at UN headquarters
Dr Kapoor, who was present at the report launch, said that ‘Mann Ki Baat’ has encouraged citizens to spread the word about government policies, programmes and initiatives focused on economic, social and sustainable development.
“It catalysed collective action towards achieving sustainable development goals, which India will achieve at least 140 years in advance compared to the rest of the world,” said Dr Kapoor.
“The number of people tuning into digital and visual mediums is larger than the number of people listening to it on the radio. That is a personal choice. But over 23 crore Indians religiously tune into every episode, while over 100 crore people have connected to Mann Ki Baat at least once,” Dwivedi said.