September would be celebrated as the nutrition month and schools should have not just report cards but also nutrition cards and nutrition monitors along with class monitors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

In his monthly radio broadcast “Mann Ki Baat”, the PM also called on teachers to involve students in finding out the stories of the unsung heroes of the country’s freedom struggle. The country would soon celebrate 75 years of Independence, he pointed out.

Referring to the importance of nutrition, he said it had played a key role in building the nation.

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“September will be celebrated across the country as the nutrition month,” Modi said. In this campaign towards nutrition, the participation of the public is important, the PM said and added that attempts were being made to spread its awareness.

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“Schools are being involved. There should be a nutrition monitor just like there is a class monitor. There should be a nutrition card along with the report card. These initiatives are in the works,” he said.

Modi said a Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh was being developed to provide information about food produced in every district of the country.

The PM also mentioned that the country would soon celebrate the 75th year of independence. He said the students should be made aware of the sacrifices made by the freedom fighters. School students could be involved in spreading information about the unsung heroes of Independence and this should be the central theme of this year’s Teachers’ Day programme on September 5, he added.

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The PM pointed out that this time of the year is usually festive, but the situation is different this year because of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. He said there has been unprecedented restraint and simplicity in festivals this year. He said many Indian festivals celebrate nature and cited the Bihar’s Tharu tribe as its worshipper and also Onam, a harvest festival, in Kerala.

Modi lauded farmers because the sowing of kharif crops had seen an uptick, as compared to last year, despite the Covid-19 outbreak.

The PM said he had held talks with various ministries on how students and children should spend their time during nationwide lockdown restrictions that were enforced from March 25 for 68 days in a bid to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

He urged India to emerge as a hub for toy production. The global toy industry is over Rs7 lakh crore, but the nation’s share is insignificant and India would need to increase it, Modi said. Some areas are being developed as toy clusters, he said. The best toys are those that encourage the creativity of children, he said. He suggested start-ups to produce local toys.

“The seed sown should grow into a big tree through the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission,” Modi said.

The PM also emphasised on making progress in the gaming industry. At present, most of the games are based on foreign themes. Make games in India and also about India, he said. Small start-ups would turn into big global companies with time, Modi said. He said an application (app) innovation challenge had received a huge response.

He also singled out the role played by two Indian Army dogs – Sofi and Vida – who were feted for protecting the country. He said dogs of Indian breeds were being inducted in Indian armed forces and urged the public to adopt them as pets.