PM Modi urges to conserve water, tackle textile waste

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged Indians to lead water conservation efforts and tackle textile waste with innovative recycling, sustainable fashion, and circular economy initiatives.

Addressing the 120th episode of his monthly radio broadcast, Mann Ki Baat, Modi shared several initiatives which are underway in many states for water conservation and efforts being undertaken to deal with the textile challenge. He also spoke on cookies made from Mahua flowers, performance of para-athletes in Khelo India Games 2025, importance of International Yoga Day, rising popularity of Indian culture, and urged children and their parents to share their holiday experiences with #HolidayMemories.

He said that textile waste has become a major cause of worry for the whole world as only less than one percent of textile waste is recycled into new clothes.

“Nowadays, the trend of getting rid of old clothes as soon as possible and buying new ones is increasing all over the world. Have you ever thought about what happens to the old clothes that you stop wearing? This becomes textile waste... India is the third country in the world where the maximum textile waste is generated. This means that we also face a huge challenge,” he said.

According to several studies, China and the United States are the top two countries generating the most textile waste.

Modi said “many commendable efforts” are being undertaken in India to deal with textile waste. He said that Indian start-ups are driving textile recovery, empowering ragpickers, and promoting sustainable fashion while young innovators are recycling old clothes and footwear for the needy and repurposing the textile waste into decor, bags, and toys.

“Many organisations are engaged in popularising the ‘circular fashion brands’ these days. New rental platforms are also coming up, where designer clothes are available on rent,” he said.

He said that cities like Panipat in Haryana, Bengaluru in Karnataka, and Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu are leading in textile waste management. Panipat is a global hub for recycling, Bengaluru pioneers tech-driven solutions, and Tiruppur focuses on wastewater treatment and renewable energy, he added.

Urging to lead water conservation efforts as part of the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s “Catch The Rain” campaign launched in 2020, Modi shared examples of several initiatives of water conservation across the country. He called the campaign not just of the government but “of the society, of the Janata-Janaardan; the people.”

He said that thousands of artificial ponds, check dams, and recharge structures are being built, ensuring water security for future generations. Sharing the figure of water conservation under the campaign, he said, “During the last 7-8 years, over 11 billion cubic metres of water has been conserved through newly built tanks, ponds and other water recharge structures.”

He said that in Karnataka’s Gadag district, villagers revived dried-up lakes through community effort, inspiring social organisations to join them. “Indeed, this is a great example of the ‘catch the rain’ campaign,” he said. He urged Indians to contribute to the campaign by supporting water conservation efforts and keeping water for birds and animals this summer.

Modi lauded the efforts of four sisters of Rajakhoh village in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh who are making cookies from Mahua flowers.

“Observing the passion of these women, a big company trained them to work in a factory. Inspired by them, many women of the village have joined them. The demand for Mahua cookies made by them is increasing rapidly. In the Adilabad district of Telangana, two sisters have carried out a new experiment with Mahua flowers. They make various types of dishes with them, which people like very much,” he said

Yoga and Para-athletes’ performance

Lauding the performance of para-athletes in the recently held Khelo India Para Games 2025, Modi said, “This time more players participated in these games than earlier. This shows how popular Para Sports is becoming.”

“My best wishes for the players of Haryana, Tamil Nadu, and UP for securing the first, second, and third positions, respectively. During these games, our divyang players also set 18 national records, out of which 12 were in the name of our women players,” he added.

He also lauded the first-ever ‘Fit India Carnival’, which was organised on March 16 at the JLN Stadium in Delhi in which about 25,000 people from different fields participated. “All of them had the same goal - to stay fit and spread awareness about fitness. People involved in this event got information related to their health as well as nutrition,” he said.

With less than 100 days left for International Yoga Day 2025, Modi urged Indians to include yoga in their life. The first International Yoga Day was celebrated on June 21, 2015. “The theme of Yoga Day 2025 has been kept as ‘Yoga for One Earth One Health’. That is, we wish to make the whole world healthy through yoga,” he added.

Indian Culture going global

PM Modi lauded Indian rapper Hanumankind for including traditional martial arts like Kalaripayattu, Gatka, and Thang-Ta in his new song “Run It Up”. “I congratulate Hanumankind that due to his efforts, people of the world are getting to know about our traditional martial arts,” he said. The music video for “Run It Up” has accumulated 27 million views on YouTube and 12.1 million views on Spotify.

Modi also shared that Indians living in different parts of the world have preserved their heritage and remained connected to their roots. He shared examples of performance of “Geet Gawai” in Mauritius, ‘Phagwa Chowtaal’ in Fiji, ‘Chowtaal’ in Suriname and tradition of coming together and singing in Trinidad and Tobago.

“In all these countries, people read the Ramayan a lot. Phagwa is very popular here and all Indian festivals are celebrated with full enthusiasm. Many of their songs are in Bhojpuri, Awadhi or mixed language; at times, Braj and Maithili are also used. All those who preserve our traditions in these countries deserve appreciation,” he said.

He also said that Ayurveda and yoga are rapidly becoming popular in Chile.

“I have come to know about a team named ‘Somos India’. In Spanish, it means – ‘We are India’. This team has been promoting yoga and Ayurveda for almost a decade. Their focus is on treatment as well as educational programmes. They are also getting information related to yoga and Ayurveda translated into the Spanish language,” he said, adding that around 9,000 people participated in their myriad events and courses last year.

Activities in summer holidays

With school exams over, Modi suggested that children “inculcate a new hobby as well as hone your skills.” He also urged schools, social institutions, and science centres organising summer activities to share them with #MyHolidays. “This will help children and their parents from across the country to get information about these easily,” he said.

He also talked about the special calendar of MY-Bharat, which has been prepared for this summer vacation.

“In the study tour of MY-Bharat, you can know how our ‘Jan Aushadhi Kendras’ function. You can undergo a unique experience in the border villages by becoming a part of the vibrant village campaign. Along with this, you can definitely become a part of the cultural and sports activities there. At the same time, by participating in the padyatra on Ambedkar Jayanti, you can also spread awareness about the values of the Constitution,” he said.

He also urged children and their parents to share their holiday experiences with #HolidayMemories.