A Special Bond

Published By : Admin | February 6, 2022 | 13:39 IST

Lata didi has left for the heavenly abode. This ends the marvellous and melodious era in the Indian Movie Industry. Her soulful voice reverberated across the nation and won million hearts in the country. Called as the “Swar Kokila” by her fans, Lata Didi shared a special intangible bond with them. Not only with her fans, Lata Didi had immense affection for PM Modi.

 

PM Modi and Lata Didi shared the same birthday month. She used to affectionately call PM Modi as ‘Narendra Bhai’. In 2013, when PM Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he was invited by Lata Didi and her family to inaugurate a super-speciality hospital in Pune, which was built in memory of her late father, Deenanath Mangeshkar. The hospital was very close to Lata Didi as it was built in the memory of her late father. During the event, Lata Didi had said, “I pray to God that we see Narendra Bhai as PM.” Lata Didi had said this much before 2014 elections.

 

 

She used to wish her “Narendra Bhai” on the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan every year. In one of her video messages Lata Didi had expressed anguish that why she couldn’t send Rakhi to PM Modi because of the COVID pandemic. She had said – “Narendra Bhai, I would like to wish you on the occasion of Rakhi and say pranam. I couldn’t send a Rakhi and everybody knows the reason why,”. To which PM Modi had replied that “her heartfelt message gives infinite inspiration and energy. May you be healthy and live long, this is my prayer to God”.

 

In an interesting episode of Mann Ki Baat in 2019, PM Modi had shared with the nation, a telephonic conversation, he had with Lata Didi before leaving for his US Trip. He had called this cheerful conversation as “It was like a younger brother talking lovingly to his elder sister”.

 

PM Modi also recounted his personal relationship with Lata Didi in the same conversation. He recalled how she always treated him to Gujarati delicacies whenever he had the opportunity to meet her.

 

In the same conversation he says, “There would hardly be anyone who does not show utmost regard for Lata Mangeshkar ji. She is elder to most of us and has been witness to different eras in the country. We address her as ‘didi.’ To this Lata Didi had said, “Even you (PM Modi) don’t know what you really are. I know that the picture of India is changing with your arrival and that, that makes me very happy. It makes me feel very good.” Lata Didi had also said that she took PM Modi’s Mother’s blessings on her birthday.

Lata Didi and PM Modi used to wish each other on their birthdays. In one of the birthday-messages she had said that “Namaskar Narendra bhai. Aap ko janamdin ki bahut badhaai. Ishwar aap ko har kaam mein yash de yehi mangal kaamana. Tathastu.” To this PM Modi had replied “Thank you Lata Didi. I have been fortunate to receive your blessings for many years. They give me immense strength.” If one looks at this greetings exchange, one can see the mutual affection and warmth between Lata Didi and her ‘Narendra Bhai’.

PM Modi had also wished on her 92nd birthday in 2021. He said - “Birthday greetings to respected Lata Didi. Her melodious voice reverberates across the world. She is respected for her humility & passion towards Indian culture. Personally, her blessings are a source of great strength. I pray for Lata Didi’s long & healthy life.”

 

It is indeed a sad day for the nation that Lata Didi has passed away. But her voice will still reverberate across the country. This year at The Beating Retreat Ceremony, at the behest of PM Modi, the tune of “Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon Was Played”. This song which was sung by Lata Didi instils the spirit of patriotism in the heart of every Indian.

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries in Delhi, earlier today. The three-day Conference was held in Pusa, Delhi from 26 to 28 December, 2025.

Prime Minister observed that this conference marks another decisive step in strengthening the spirit of cooperative federalism and deepening Centre-State partnership to achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister emphasised that Human Capital comprising knowledge, skills, health and capabilities is the fundamental driver of economic growth and social progress and must be developed through a coordinated Whole-of-Government approach.

The Conference included discussions around the overarching theme of ‘Human Capital for Viksit Bharat’. Highlighting India's demographic advantage, the Prime Minister stated that nearly 70 percent of the population is in the working-age group, creating a unique historical opportunity which, when combined with economic progress, can significantly accelerate India's journey towards Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister said that India has boarded the “Reform Express”, driven primarily by the strength of its young population, and empowering this demographic remains the government’s key priority. Prime Minister noted that the Conference is being held at a time when the country is witnessing next-generation reforms and moving steadily towards becoming a major global economic power.

He further observed that Viksit Bharat is synonymous with quality and excellence and urged all stakeholders to move beyond average outcomes. Emphasising quality in governance, service delivery and manufacturing, the Prime Minister stated that the label "Made in India' must become a symbol of excellence and global competitiveness.

Prime Minister emphasised the need to strengthen Aatmanirbharta, stating that India must pursue self-reliance with zero defect in products and minimal environmental impact, making the label 'Made in India' synonymous with quality and strengthen our commitment to 'Zero Effect, Zero Defect.’ He urged the Centre and States to jointly identify 100 products for domestic manufacturing to reduce import dependence and strengthen economic resilience in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister emphasised the need to map skill demand at the State and global levels to better design skill development strategies. In higher education too, he suggested that there is a need for academia and industry to work together to create high quality talent.

For livelihoods of youth, Prime Minister observed that tourism can play a huge role. He highlighted that India has a rich heritage and history with a potential to be among the top global tourist destinations. He urged the States to prepare a roadmap for creating at least one global level tourist destination and nourishing an entire tourist ecosystem.

PM Modi said that it is important to align the Indian national sports calendar with the global sports calendar. India is working to host the 2036 Olympics. India needs to prepare infrastructure and sports ecosystem at par with global standards. He observed that young kids should be identified, nurtured and trained to compete at that time. He urged the States that the next 10 years must be invested in them, only then will India get desired results in such sports events. Organising and promoting sports events and tournaments at local and district level and keeping data of players will create a vibrant sports environment.

PM Modi said that soon India would be launching the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM). Every State must give this top priority and create infrastructure to attract global companies. He further said that it included Ease of Doing Business, especially with respect to land, utilities and social infrastructure. He also called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and strengthen the services sector. In the services sector, PM Modi said that there should be greater emphasis on other areas like Healthcare, education, transport, tourism, professional services, AI, etc. to make India a Global Services Giant.

Prime Minister also emphasized that as India aspires to be the food basket of the world, we need to shift to high value agriculture, dairy, fisheries, with a focus on exports. He pointed out that the PM Dhan Dhanya Scheme has identified 100 districts with lower productivity. Similarly, in learning outcomes States must identify the lowest 100 districts and must work on addressing the issues around the low indicators.

PM also urged the States to use Gyan Bharatam Mission for digitization of manuscripts. He said that States may start a Abhiyan to digitize such manuscripts available in States. Once these manuscripts are digitized, Al can be used for synthesizing the wisdom and knowledge available.

Prime Minister noted that the Conference reflects India’s tradition of collective thinking and constructive policy dialogue, and that the Chief Secretaries Conference, institutionalised by the Government of India, has become an effective platform for collective deliberation.

Prime Minister emphasised that States should work in tandem with the discussions and decisions emerging from both the Chief Secretaries and the DGPs Conferences to strengthen governance and implementation.

Prime Minister suggested that similar conferences could be replicated at the departmental level to promote a national perspective among officers and improve governance outcomes in pursuit of Viksit Bharat.

Prime Minister also said that all States and UTs must prepare capacity building plan along with the Capacity Building Commission. He said that use of Al in governance and awareness on cyber security is need of the hour. States and Centre have to put emphasis on cyber security for the security of every citizen.

Prime Minister said that the technology can provide secure and stable solutions through our entire life cycle. There is a need to utilise technology to bring about quality in governance.

In the conclusion, Prime Minister said that every State must create 10-year actionable plans based on the discussions of this Conference with 1, 2, 5 and 10 year target timelines wherein technology can be utilised for regular monitoring.

The three-day Conference emphasised on special themes which included Early Childhood Education; Schooling; Skilling; Higher Education; and Sports and Extracurricular Activities recognising their role in building a resilient, inclusive and future-ready workforce.

Discussion during the Conference

The discussions during the Conference reflected the spirit of Team India, where the Centre and States came together with a shared commitment to transform ideas into action. The deliberations emphasised the importance of ensuring time-bound implementation of agreed outcomes so that the vision of Viksit Bharat translates into tangible improvements in citizens’ lives. The sessions provided a comprehensive assessment of the current situation, key challenges and possible solutions across priority areas related to human capital development.

The Conference also facilitated focused deliberations over meals on Heritage & Manuscript Preservation and Digitisation; and Ayush for All with emphasis on integrating knowledge in primary healthcare delivery.

The deliberations also emphasised the importance of effective delivery, citizen-centric governance and outcome-oriented implementation to ensure that development initiatives translate into measurable on-ground impact. The discussions highlighted the need to strengthen institutional capacity, improve inter-departmental coordination and adopt data-driven monitoring frameworks to enhance service delivery. Focus was placed on simplifying processes, leveraging technology and ensuring last-mile reach so that benefits of development reach every citizen in a timely, transparent and inclusive manner, in alignment with the vision of Viksit Bharat.

The Conference featured a series of special sessions that enabled focused deliberations on cross-cutting and emerging priorities. These sessions examined policy pathways and best practices on Deregulation in States, Technology in Governance: Opportunities, Risks & Mitigation; AgriStack for Smart Supply Chain & Market Linkages; One State, One World Class Tourist Destination; Aatmanirbhar Bharat & Swadeshi; and Plans for a post-Left Wing Extremism future. The discussions highlighted the importance of cooperative federalism, replication of successful State-level initiatives and time-bound implementation to translate deliberations into measurable outcomes.

The Conference was attended by Chief Secretaries, senior officials of all States/Union Territories, domain experts and senior officers in the centre.