Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the Chennai library which is created for children, saying it has become a hub of creativity and learning. He also mentioned the “Prayog Library” in Bihar’s Gopalganj district for its service to the people of 12 villages.

Addressing the 116th episode of his monthly “Mann Ki Baat” radio broadcast, PM Modi said these days many experiments are being conducted for the education of children and the effort is to enhance the creativity of children and their love for books.

PM Modi noted that books are humans’ best friends and what better place than the library to strengthen this friendship?

Sharing one such example from Chennai, PM Modi said the “Prakriti Arivagam” library which has become a hub of creativity and learning, was the idea of of Shriram Gopalan, who is associated with the world of technology.

PM Modi said during his work abroad, he remained connected with the world of the latest technology. But, he also kept thinking about developing the habit of reading and learning in children, Modi added. After returning to India, Shriram Gopalan established “Prakrith Arivagam,” he said.

The “Prakriti Arivagam” has more than three thousand books, which children eagerly wait to read. Apart from books, different types of activities being organised in this library also attract children. Be it Story Telling sessions, Art Workshops, Memory Training Classes, Robotics Lessons or Public Speaking, there is something or the other, to the liking of everyone.

The Prayog Library in Bihar, which has been talked a lot about in many cities in the neighbouring states, facilitates youths of around 12 villages to read books. Apart from this, the library is also providing other important facilities to the students in preparing for competitive examinations.

“It is indeed very heartening to note that the library is being used in the best possible way to strengthen the society. You too should develop friendships with books and see how it brings a change in your life,” PM Modi said.

Speaking on the issue of sparrows extinctions, PM Modi reminded people of how seeing sparrows chirping on rooftops or in trees during childhood was not so rare but due to rapid urbanisation, sparrows have become rare and many children today may only know them from pictures or videos.

It is known as “Kuruvi” in Tamil and Malayalam, “Pichhuka” in Telugu, and “Gubbi” in Kannada, these birds play an essential role in maintaining biodiversity, PM Modi noted.

The Prime Minister said, fortunately, efforts are being made to reintroduce sparrows to children. In Chennai, the “Kudugal Trust” engages schoolchildren in campaigns to increase the sparrow population by teaching them to build wooden nests, he added. Over the past four years, they have helped create thousands of nests, leading to a rise in the local sparrow population, said Modi.

In Mysuru, Karnataka, the “Early Bird” campaign educates children about birds through a library and a Nature Education Kit filled with storybooks and games, he said. “This organization takes children from cities to villages, helping them recognise various bird species.”

“Through these initiatives, we can encourage children to understand and appreciate their environment, helping sparrows once again become a part of our lives,” PM Modi said.

The NDA on Saturday won the Maharashtra Assembly election with 235 seats, while the Opposition bloc INDIA retained in Jharkhand with 56 seats.

In Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti alliance, consisting of the BJP, Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, won 235 of the 288 Assembly seats, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi secured 49 seats, and Others 4.

In Jharkhand, the JMM-Congress coalition won 56 of the 81 Assembly seats, while the BJP-led alliance had 24 seats, and Other 1.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the development and good governance after NDA’s victory in Maharashtra. He also thanked the people of Jharkhand for their support and congratulated JMM-Congress for their victory.

Addressing BJP workers at party headquarters in Delhi, PM Modi said: “It is the victory of development, good governance and social justice in Maharashtra, and it is the defeat of negative politics and dynastic politics.”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed gratitude to the people of Maharashtra for the “historic victory” of the Mahayuti alliance in the state polls and said that by giving such a huge mandate to the NDA, people have shut shops of “fake well-wishers of the Constitution”.

As the JMM-led alliance gained victory in the Jharkhand Assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi extended his heartfelt gratitude to the people of Jharkhand and congratulated Chief Minister Hemant Soren for the victory.

In a post on X in Hindi, Gandhi said: “Heartfelt thanks to the people of Jharkhand for giving a huge mandate to INDIA alliance. Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji and all the workers of Congress and JMM for this victory. This victory of the alliance in the state is a victory for the protection of water, forest and land along with the Constitution. The results of Maharashtra are unexpected and we will analyse them in detail. Thanks to all the voter brothers and sisters of the state for their support and to all the workers for their hard work.”

In her debut, Priyanka Gandhi won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seats in the byelection with a bigger margin than her brother and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. She fills the vacancy left by Rahul when he choose Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.

Taking to X, she said: “I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the trust you have placed in me. I will make sure that over time, you truly feel this victory has been your victory and the person you chose to represent you understands your hopes and dreams and fights for you as one of your own. I look forward to being your voice in Parliament!”

In a press conference in Ranchi, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said: “In some places, vote counting has concluded and in some places, the counting is still going on. We can see that the INDIA alliance is performing really well. I thank the voters of the state, including women, men, youth, farmers and people of various castes and religions for casting their votes.”

After a sweeping victory in Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar have held a press conference in Mumbai.

“The people of Maharashtra have prioritised development and delivered a decisive mandate to the Mahayuti alliance. We express our gratitude to the citizens of Maharashtra,” stated Ajit Pawar.

Devendra Fadnavis stated that the alliance acknowledges the support of the people of Maharashtra. “This victory heightens our responsibilities. We are committed to fulfilling the expectations placed upon us.”

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who significantly contributed to his party Shiv Sena’s strong showing in the Assembly elections, secured victory in his Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency in Thane by a notable margin of 120,000 votes.

Assam Chief Minister and BJP co-in-charge for the elections, Himanta Biswa Sarma, extended his congratulations to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his team for achieving an “impressive victory” in the 2024 Assembly elections.

Addressing the media from Matoshree, Uddhav Thackeray raised questions about the rationale behind the public’s support for Mahayuti, stating, “Why have the people voted for Mahayuti? Soybean farmers are in distress, industries are migrating to Gujarat, women’s safety is still an issue, inflation is burdening households, and crop loan waivers remain absent. This isn’t just a wave…it’s a ‘tsunami’.”

On Mahayuti’s victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya voiced his support for Fadnavis as the chief ministerial candidate for the neighbouring state.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that there is no conflict over the chief minister’s position, emphasising that leaders within Mahayuti will collectively decide on the matter, considering the coalition’s anticipated landslide victory.

Explaining the reason behind the Maha Vikas Aghadi defeat in the Assembly polls, CPI (Marxist) leader Ashok Dhawale noted that the overconfidence of the MVA following the Lok Sabha results, delayed finalising seat-sharing arrangements, and internal conflicts have led to the defeat of the alliance. In contrast, the BJP and its allies effectively utilised communal polarisation and financial resources, he said.

Extolling the people of Jharkhand for rejecting the politics of polarisation and giving a mandate to the Opposition bloc INDIA, the Congress on Saturday said the state has shown a new way and sent a positive message to the entire nation. It added that the result of the Maharashtra Assembly election was surprising and inexplicable for the grand old party.

Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said what not were said during political campaigns by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

He said the whole election was fought on one word- infiltrators, adding that BJP tried to create fear, but people responded in a decisive manner. “It is also a positive message for the entire country that the politics of polarisation can be defeated,” he added.

In Maharashtra, without a doubt, in a targeted manner, the level playing field, the word that the Election Commission of India uses, was disturbed, Ramesh alleged. The results have come, and it is unexpected in Maharashtra, he added.

Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in-charge communications, said the party will keep raising questions on electoral transparency. He reiterated the party’s stands on caste census, saying, “We won and lost today but Congress’ agenda will not change and will keep raising issues of caste census.”

BJP-led Mahayuti is all set to form a government in Maharashtra, while JMM-led will retain for the second term.  

Jharkhand Chief Minister, addressing a press conference in Ranchi after crossing the majority mark in the state, said: “In some places, vote counting has concluded and in some places, the counting is still going on. We can see that INDIA alliance is performing really well. I thank the voters of the state, including women, men, youth, farmers and people of various castes and religion for casting their votes.”

Jharkhand Congress in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir, sitting beside CM Soren, said: “I want to thank you all. You are a witness to the Jharkhand elections. We told in the beginning that the people of Jharkhand are courageous, and matured in terms of politics. During our campaigning, we had put our work in front of the people. The judge was the people of Jharkhand.”  

Mir asserted that Hemant Soren is the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, will continue to remain so.