Will donate prize money to Namami Gange project: PM Modi

PUNE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said it was a memorable moment for him to be conferred with Lokmanya Tilak National Award. He was addressing an event in Pune where he shared the stage with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stalwart Sharad Pawar.

"This is a memorable moment for me," PM Modi said, adding, "While I am very happy to be here, I am also feeling emotional. Lokmanya Tilak is the tilak of our freedom struggle." "The role of Lokmanya Tilak in India's independence, his contribution cannot be summed up in a few words or by illustrating a few incidents," the PM said, invoking the freedom fighter, adding, "I pay homage to him and all our freedom fighters. I am honoured to be on Maharashtra soil.

This is the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Jyotirba Phule." Prime Minister Modi added that he has decided to donate the prize money from the award to the Namami Gange project. "I have decided to donate the prize money to the Namami Gange project. I want to dedicate this award to 140 crore people of the country," he said.

"The vision of 'Vyavastha Nimaan Se Sanstha Nirmaan', 'Sanstha Nirmaan Se Vyakti Nirmaan', 'Vyakti Nirmaan Se Rasthra Nirmaan' is a roadmap for nation building. India is following this roadmap diligently," PM Modi added.

The Award was constituted by Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust in 1983, to honour the legacy of Lokmanya Tilak. With this award, PM Modi became the 41st recipient of the award. The former recipients include luminaries such as Shankar Dayal Sharma, Pranab Mukherjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indira Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, NR Narayana Murthy, and E Sreedharan, among others.

Earlier on Tuesday, PM Modi reached Pune as part of a day-long visit. He is scheduled to launch various development projects later in the day. He will also be taking part in different programmes in the city. PM Modi was received by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.

After reaching Pune, PM Modi reached Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Mandir and offered prayers. During his day-long Pune visit, Prime Minister Modi will also flag off Metro trains and inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development projects, the official statement from the PMO said on Sunday.