PM Modi’s birthday: Wishes pour in from world leaders amid prayers and BJP’s ‘sewa’

President Droupadi Murmu has greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday and praised him for instilling a culture of achieving great goals in the country.

“Today, the global community is also expressing its faith in your guidance,” Murmu said in her birthday greetings to the PM.

“Heartfelt birthday greetings and best wishes to the Prime Minister of India, Shri @narendramodi ji. By exemplifying the pinnacle of hard work through your extraordinary leadership, you have instilled a culture of achieving great goals in the country.

“I pray to God that you remain forever healthy and joyful, and with your unique leadership, lead the nation to new heights of progress,” the president said in a post on X in Hindi.

More than 1,300 items, including an exquisitely-crafted statue of Goddess Bhavani, an intricately-carved model of Ayodhya’s Ram temple, and a set of sporting memorabilia from the Paralympic Games 2024 gifted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi are part of an e-auction that begins in Delhi on September 17.

The start of the seventh edition of the online auction will coincide with the birthday of Modi, who turns 75 on Wednesday. It will be held till October 2.

According to the PM Mementos website, the base price of the statue of Goddess Bhavani is Rs 1,03,95,000, while that of the model of the Ram temple is Rs 5.5 lakh.

Culture ministry officials said these two items, along with three pairs of shoes of Paralympics medallists, each pair with a base price of Rs 7.7 lakh, are in the top-five bracket in terms of the base price.

Other items that will be part of the e-auction include an intricately-embroidered Pashmina shawl from Jammu and Kashmir, a Tanjore painting of Ram Durbar, a metallic Nataraja statue, a Rogan Art from Gujarat depicting the Tree of Life and a handwoven Naga shawl.

Shekhawat said more than 1,300 gifts received by the prime minister will be auctioned online. These items include paintings, artefacts, sculptures, idols of gods and goddesses and some sports items.

Congress MP Praniti Shinde on Tuesday kicked up a row by terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday as a “black day” for democracy, drawing sharp reactions from the BJP and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena.

“The PM’s birthday is a black day for democracy as the country is reeling under an undeclared emergency with stolen votes,” Praniti Shinde, daughter of former Union minister and Congress veteran Sushilkumar Shinde, told PTI.

She claimed that the Opposition’s voice is being suppressed and votes of people are stolen. She also slammed the BJP-led Central government over the India-Pakistan cricket match.

The Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader hit back at Praniti and termed the stints under the Congress-led governments before 2014 as “black days”.

“India is seeing a change through development. The Congress is not able to digest the Viksit Bharat slogan given by the prime minister,” Eknath Shinde said, adding that Modi had rooted out corruption, which was the hallmark of the Congress rule.

The Bihar BJP on Tuesday flagged off 243 vehicles, named “Chalo Jeete Hain (Let us live) raths” to screen a film to tell people the story of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s childhood days, from Patna.

The vehicles, fitted with LED screens, will cover all 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar ahead of the upcoming assembly polls.

BJP president Dilip Jaiswal said these raths would carry the message of service and dedication to the people across the state.

“Additionally, the inspirational short film Chalo Jeete Hain, based on the childhood of PM Modi, will be screened in all 243 assembly constituencies of the state to motivate citizens through his life of service, struggle, and resolve,” he said.

“These vehicles will travel across different assembly constituencies, spreading awareness about the BJP’s issues and welfare measures taken by the NDA government,” said the state BJP chief.

Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary said that the ‘Chalo Jeete Hain’ raths will tour every constituency, inspiring people with the message that even the son of a poor man can become the PM of the country. He urged the people to help spread this message to every household.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government is all set to launch various development projects and welfare initiatives on Wednesday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch 15 development initiatives, including hospital blocks, 101 Arogya Mandir, 150 dialysis centres, 75 drones for policing, foundation stone laying of two waste to energy plants among others, in an event to be held at Thyagraj stadium at 1 pm on Wednesday.

The celebrations marking PM Modi’s birthday will begin with a blood donation camp and “Sewa Sankalp Walk” at Kartavya Path, at 7 am, while an exhibition on Centre’s development initiatives in the national capital will also be unveiled.

The BJP government in Delhi will launch 75 development projects and welfare initiatives during 15 days of Sewa Pakhwada, from September 19 to October 2.

A programme, Mera Desh Pahle—The Untold Story of Shri Narendra Modi, a musical saga conceptualised and presented by Bollywood lyricist Manoj Muntashir, will be held at IGI stadium, on Thursday evening.

During the Sewa Pakhwada, projects worth Rs 3,000 crore by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and Public Works Department (PWD) will be launched on various dates.

According to the officials, the long-awaited Delhi Drainage Master Plan, providing a comprehensive roadmap to tackle waterlogging and flooding across the capital and ensuring long-term resilience against extreme weather, will also be launched.

The Delhi government will also launch multiple projects, including multilevel car parkings at GK and Punjabi Bagh, the long-awaited foot overbridge for Rajputana Rifles and the Nand Nagari flyover.

Among the most awaited projects is the foundation stone laying for a foot overbridge near the Rajputana Rifles regiment base in Delhi Cantt, bringing long-overdue relief to hundreds of soldiers and their families who were forced to pass through a filthy underpass for local commute in the area.

Sanitation and water treatment projects, including 564 MLD Okhla STP, Keshopur Ph-II & III STPs, and the rehabilitation of Kondli WWTP (Phases I, III) under the Yamuna Action Plan-III, will be unveiled. Additionally, the Ring Road/Yamuna Swachhata Abhiyan will be launched during the fortnight.

Educational and healthcare initiatives will also take centre stage with the inauguration of CM Shri Schools, a new MC Primary School at Prem Nagar, and a new block at Karampura Centre of BR Ambedkar University.

A new fire station at Narela and the foundation of a Rs 65 crore grid station near Mandoli Jail, set to benefit 38,000 residents, will also be unveiled.

A national award-winning film on principles espoused by Swami Vivekananda and inspired by a childhood incident in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life will be screened across lakhs of schools and several cinema halls for the “silent heroes” of society.

The film Chalo Jeete Hain, which was released in 2018, will be screened between September 17 and October 2 in schools, where students will watch it along with “silent heroes” — watchmen, cleaning staff, drivers, peons and others who contribute quietly to the smooth functioning of the daily life of society, an official statement said.

The film will be screened under the “Chalo Jeete Hain: Seva Ka Sanman” initiative, which will also have ceremonies to honour the “silent heroes” after students watch the film along with them.

“The film is inspired by a childhood incident from the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It tells the story of young Naru, who, deeply influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy, seeks to understand its meaning and strives to make a difference in his small world,” an official release said.

The critically acclaimed film, among the most viewed short films of 2018, will be screened in lakhs of schools and nearly 500 cinema halls nationwide, including PVR Inox, Cinepolis, Rajhans and Miraj, the statement said.