New Delhi: Describing India as a "messenger of peace", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the country has always contributed towards global peace, unity and harmony through UN missions across the world.
He said India is the third highest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, with around 7,000 of its security personnel deployed on various missions across the world.
Besides, the Indian forces have imparted peacekeeping training to their counterparts from 85 countries and have been providing medical services to people of many nations, Modi said in his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'.
In his 30-minute broadcast, he also talked about India's tradition of respecting the nature through festivals like 'Chhat' and referred to the ongoing cleanliness campaign.
He mentioned the role played by Sardar Vallabhai Patel in laying the foundation of the country's unity and urged people to participate in the 'Run for Unity' to be organised on the late leader's birth anniversary on October 31, which also happens to be the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi.
Talking about the upcoming Children's Day which is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru on November 14, Modi expressed concern that children are nowadays getting afflicted by diabetes.
He said ailments like diabetes occurred mainly due to lifestyle and exhorted the children to play outdoors more to be healthy and escape such diseases.
He also referred to the just-concluded FIFA Under-17 World Cup held in India for the first time and expressed happiness over the host team's performance, saying it had won hearts, if not medals.
He also spoke about the upcoming Guru Nanak Jayanti which falls on November 4 and hailed the first Sikh Guru, describing him as a "world guru" who thought about the welfare of the entire humanity.
Hailing the Indian armed forces, the prime minister mentioned his recent visit to Gurez near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu Kashmir to spend Diwali with the brave security personnel.
Describing it as an "unforgettable" experience, he lauded the "struggle, dedication and sacrifices" of the armed forces personnel who work in challenging conditions at the borders to protect the country.
He said the Indian forces are deployed not only on the Indian borders but play a role to establish peace across the world in the form of UN peacekeeper and make the country proud.
Referring to the UN Day celebrated on October 24, he said it is an occasion to remember the efforts of the UN to establish peace in the world.
"The 'Mann Ki Baat' (programme) is praised, and sometimes it is criticised. But when I see the impact of 'Mann Ki Baat', my belief becomes a conviction that the programme has forged an unbreakable