Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Digital India had become a big reality and people benefited from its power in many ways including by tele-consultations with doctors and getting medical advice at their homes in far-away places.

In the latest episode of Mann Ki Baat, he said through one App E-Sanjeevani, more than 10 crore consultations had taken place with doctors — “an amazing bond between patient and doctor –this is a big achievement.”

“For this achievement, I congratulate all the doctors and patients who have availed of this facility. This is a living example of how the people of India have made technology a part of their lives,” the Prime Minister said.

“We have seen that in the time of Corona, the E-Sanjeevani App has proved to be a great boon for the people,” he said. The Prime Minister talked to Dr Madan Mani from Sikkim during the Mann Ki Baat so that people would learn how much the App had benefited.

Dr Mani hails from Sikkim, but did his MBBS from Dhanbad and then his MD from Banaras Hindu University. He disclosed to the Prime Minister that he had provided tele-consultation to hundreds of people in rural areas.

After that the Prime Minister talked to Mr Madan Mohan Lal, a resident of Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh, close to Varanasi, and asked him about his experience as a patient regarding E-Sanjeevani App.

He said before the App came, he had to travel five to six kilometers for consultations for his diabetes as hospitals are far away. He said now people saved money spent on travel and got consultations on the App without queues.

The Prime Minister referred to India’s UPI and how many countries of the world were drawn towards it. Just a few days ago, he said, the UPI-Pay Now Link was launched between India and Singapore. Now, people of Singapore and India are transferring money from their mobile phones in the same way as they do within their respective countries, he said.

“I am glad that people have started taking advantage of it. Be it India’s E-Sanjeevani App or UPI, these have proved to be very helpful in raising the Ease of Living,” he said.

Mr Modi said when a species of bird is going extinct in a country, it is saved, it is discussed all over the world. But there are many great traditions in India which had disappeared, and had been removed from the minds and hearts of the people. Efforts are now being made to revive them with the power of public participation.

“What I am going to tell you now will make you really happy…you will be proud of our heritage,” he said. He said Mr Kanchan Banerjee, who lives in America, had drawn his attention to one such campaign related to the preservation of heritage.

“I congratulate him. Friends, this month, ‘Tribeni Kumbh Mahotsav’ was organized in Bansberia of Hooghly district in West Bengal. More than eight lakh devotees participated in it…But do you know why it is so special? It is special, since this practice has been revived after 700 years,” the Prime Minister said.

Although this tradition is thousands of years old, he said, unfortunately this festival which used to take place in Tribeni, Bengal was stopped 700 years ago. It should have been started after Independence, but that too could not happen. Two years ago, the festival was started again by the local people and through ‘Tribeni Kumbho Porichalona Shomiti’.

“I congratulate all the people associated with its organization. You are not only keeping alive a tradition, but are also protecting the cultural heritage of India,” he said.

“Friends, Tribeni in West Bengal has been known as a holy place for centuries. It finds mention in various Mangal Kavya, Vaishnava literature, Shakta literature and other Bangla literary works. Various historical documents suggest that this region was once a centre of Sanskrit, education and Indian culture,” he said.

The Prime Minister said many saints consider it a holy place for Kumbh Snan on Magh Sankranti. In Tribeni, you will find many Ganga Ghats, Shiva temples and ancient buildings decorated with terracotta architecture, he said. Kumbh Mela was organized here last year to restore the cultural heritage of Tribeni and revive the glory of Kumbh tradition.

Seven centuries later, the three-day Kumbh Mahasnan and the fair have infused a new energy into the region. A large number of people participated in the Ganga Aarti, Rudrabhishek and Yajna that took place every day for three days. Various ashrams, mutts and akhadas were also included in the festival this time.

Various genres related to Bengali traditions such as Kirtan, Baul, Godiyo Nritto, Sree-Khol, Poter Gaan, Chou-Nach, became the center of attraction in the evening programmes. “This is a very commendable effort to connect our youth with the golden past of the country. There are many other such practices in India, which need to be revived. I hope that the discussion about them will definitely inspire people in this direction,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr Modi referred to the three competitions ‘Geet’ – Patriotic Songs, ‘Lullabies’ and ‘Rangoli’ announced on the last Sardar Patel birth anniversary. “I am glad to inform you that more than 5 lakh people from more than 700 districts across the country have participated in this enthusiastically,” he said.