By NewGram Staff Writer

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday presented 50th Jnanpeeth Award to Prof Bhalchandra Nemade.

Praising the writing of Prof. Bhalchandra Nemade, the Prime Minister compared his views with those of Shri Aurobindo. He said the works of Prof. Nemade will inspire several generations.

Speaking after the presentation of the award Modi said, "Creative writing has the capacity to touch lives of several generations." He reiterated that solutions to the problems of global warming and climate change, which the world is debating today, can be found in the Vedas.

The Prime Minister emphasized that literature is extremely important in the current age of technology. He said that the combination of wisdom (Saraswati) and prosperity (Lakshmi) are the key to India's progress.

The Prime Minister expressed displeasure about the waning interest of people in books. He said people must ensure a special place for books in their homes. He recalled the "Vaanche Gujarat" (Read Gujarat) initiative that he had launched when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat.