New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Centre’s Jal Shakti Ministry is about to launch a 100-day campaign called ‘Catch the Rain’ to promote water conservation in the country.

The Prime Minister made the statement while addressing this year’s second ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme. The Prime Minister said water is a collective gift of nature to humankind, and it is the collective responsibility of everyone to conserve the essential natural resource. He said that water has been crucial for the development of humankind for centuries.

“This is the best time to think about water conservation in the summer months ahead… Yesterday was the festival of Magha Purnima. The month of Magh is associated with rivers, lakes, and water bodies…Water is life for us, it is also faith and it is also a stream of development. Water is more important than ‘Paras’ in a way. It is said that by the touch of ‘Paras’, iron can be converted into gold. In the same way, the touch of water is necessary for life,” the Prime Minister said.

He also talked about Sant Ravidas whose birth anniversary was celebrated yesterday on the occasion of Magha Purnima. “Sant Ravidas Ji taught us- keep working, do not expect anything…when this is done there will be satisfaction. He taught people to go beyond conventional thinking,” the Prime Minister added.