File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI

New Delhi: Underlining the importance of collective responsibility towards water conservation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for a 100-day campaign to clean up all water bodies and prepare them for rainwater harvesting before the monsoon season starts.

In his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast, Modi said water has been crucial for the development of humankind for centuries.

“We have to understand our collective responsibility towards water conservation,” he said.

The prime minister also said that when people feel proud of indigenous products then Aatmanirbhar Bharat does not just remain an economic programme but becomes a national spirit.

Noting that monsoon will begin in many parts of the country by around May-June, the prime minister asked whether there can be a 100-day public campaign to clean up all nearby water bodies and prepare those for rainwater conservation.

In this regard, the Union Jal Shakti Ministry is also launching the “Catch the rain” campaign and its main theme is “catch the rain, where it falls when it falls”, he said.

“This is the best time to think about water conservation in the summer months ahead,” Modi said.

He also said there is a need to make science more popular across the country and asserted that science cannot be limited to physics-chemistry and labs. Modi called for expanding science with a mantra of ”lab to land”.

During the broadcast, the prime minister also rued not being able to make enough efforts to learn the world’s oldest language, Tamil.

“In the run-up to Mann Ki Baat, I was asked if there was something I missed out on during these long years as chief minister and prime minister. I feel — it is a regret of sorts that I could not make enough efforts to learn the world’s oldest language Tamil. Tamil literature is beautiful,” Modi said.

“A few days ago Aparna Reddy ji of Hyderabad asked me one such question. She said ‘You have been PM for so many years and were CM for so many years. Do you ever feel that something is missing?’ Modi said.

Noting that the question seemed simple but was difficult, he said, “I pondered this over and told myself that one of my shortcomings was that I could not make much effort to learn Tamil, the oldest language in the world; I could not make myself learn Tamil!”

The prime minister praised the Tamil language and its rich literature.

“It is such a beautiful language, which is popular all over the world. Many people have told me a lot about the quality of Tamil literature and the depth of the poems written in it,” he said.

Modi highlighted that India is a land of many languages, which symbolise its culture and pride.