Mann Ki Baat: How Panna forest guard Jagdish Prasad Ahirwar's passion for medicinal plants earned him PM Modi's praise
PM Modi Mann Ki Baat: Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav listened to PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ along with students and public representatives at the Government Higher Secondary School for the Visually and Hearing Impaired, Hamukhedi, Ujjain.
In the 130th edition of his radio broadcast, ‘Mann Ki Baat’, aired on Sunday, PM Modi highlighted grassroots initiatives undertaken by ordinary citizens across the country for environmental conservation. He specifically praised the efforts of Forest Beat Guard Jagdish Prasad Ahirwar from Panna district.
PM Modi said that when environmental conservation is discussed, people often think of large plans, major campaigns and big organisations. However, change often begins in very simple ways, starting with one individual, one area, one small step and consistent small efforts.
PM Modi stated that the efforts of Jagdish Prasad Ahirwar in Panna district are highly commendable. Serving as a beat guard in the forest, Ahirwar realised during patrols that information about many medicinal plants found in the forest was not systematically documented anywhere.
With the intention of passing this knowledge on to future generations, he began identifying medicinal plants and creating records. He identified more than 125 medicinal plant species, compiling photographs, names, uses and locations of each plant.
The Forest Department compiled his work and published it in book form. The information provided in the book is now proving extremely useful for researchers, students and forest officials.
PM Modi further said that this very spirit of environmental conservation is now visible on a larger scale as well. With the same vision, the nationwide campaign ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ is being implemented, with crores of people already associated with it. More than 200 crore trees have been planted across the country so far, demonstrating increased public awareness and willingness to contribute to environmental protection.
Chief Minister Dr. Yadav expressed gratitude to PM Modi for mentioning the innovation of Beat Guard Jagdish Prasad Ahirwar from Panna district in the Mann Ki Baat. T
An expert on medicinal plants and biodiversity documentation, Ahirwar is posted as a Beat Guard under the Mohandra Forest Range of the South Panna Forest Division in Panna district. He has authored a book titled ‘Important Medicinal Plants of South Panna’, which has been published with the support of the South Panna Forest Division of the Forest Department.