Opinion | After Swachh, PM Modi Picks Up ‘Small Issue’ Of India’s Rising Obesity And Makes It Big

God is in the details,” German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe had famously said. As one of the pioneers of modern architecture, Mies made every detail count while creating iconic works, ranging from the Chicago Federal Complex to the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive, and from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, to the National Gallery, Berlin.

It seems no detail is too small for Prime Minister Narendra Modi either, the man who has made it his mission to be the architect of tomorrow’s India. For decades, successive Indian PMs made undoubtedly important speeches on large and lofty issues like the economy and foreign policy. Modi does that too.

But it is the occasional deep dive into minutiae that sets him apart from leaders before him. On August 15, PM Modi called for making swachhta or cleanliness an abiding goal of the nation. For the first time, a prime minister was talking about a modest toilet from the ramparts of the mighty Red Fort. It is rare for a leader of his stature to weigh in on an issue deemed too small by others, but which could change the direction of a nation.

What followed his speech was the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2 that year, leading to the construction of 120 million toilets over the next 10 years, which in turn saved an estimated 70,000 infant lives annually and even contributed to a significant decrease in rapes, which often occurred when women had to relieve themselves far from their homes in the early hours.

Which is why when PM Modi spoke about the need to address growing obesity in India, the world sat up and took notice.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 38th National Games in Dehradun, Prime Minister Modi stressed how obesity is increasing rapidly in the country, and with it, the risk of diabetes and cardiac illnesses. He reminded Bharat about the Fit India Movement. He also underlined the importance of exercise and diet and reducing unhealthy fat and oil in food. “Reduce daily oil consumption by 10 per cent”, he suggested.

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