Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the 77th episode of his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'.

PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat has come on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre is completing 7 years in power.

The prime minister began his Mann Ki Baat episode by talking about the cyclones-- cyclone Tauktae and Cyclone Yaas, that hit several states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal.

The PM lauded rescue and relief workers who showed courage during the cyclone.

The PM added, " My heart goes out to all the people who have lost their near and dear ones. Let us all firmly stand those who have borne the brunt of disaster".

-The PM further spoke about the surge in demand for oxygen amid the second Covid-19 wave.

"Friends, when the second wave came, the demand for oxygen surged all of a sudden…this was a very big challenge…delivering medical oxygen to remote parts of the country was indeed a huge task," the PM said.

To counter challenges, drivers of Cryogenic oxygen tankers helped by working on war footing and saved lives of lakhs of people, PM Modi said. He lauded the Railway ministry for transporting oxygen to different parts of the country to meet the demand. "Mothers and sisters would be proud to hear that one #oxygenexpress is being run fully by women. Every woman of the country will feel proud at that. Not just that, every Indian will feel proud.," the PM said on Mann Ki Baat.

-Further, PM Modi highlighted the data on the increase in production of liquid medical oxygen to tide over the Covid-19 crisis.

Earlier, the country used to produce 900 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen. Now, it has expanded to generating more than 10 times the normal output, PM Modi said. He said India is producing 9,500 MT of medical oxygen, at present.

The PM also added that how the country has augmented the testing amid the pandemic.

"At the beginning of Corona, there was only one testing lab in the country, but today more than two and a half thousand labs are in operation. Initially, only a few hundred tests could be conducted in a day, now over 20 lakh tests are being carried out in a single day," the PM added.

-Highlighting the achievement of the agricultural sector, PM Modi said the "sector itself protected from this attack (Covid) to a great extent".

"This time in many places farmers have got more than the minimum support price (MSP) for mustard...Today, 800 million underprivileged citizens are being provided free ration in this hour of crisis," the prime minister said.

-On the occasion of the 7th anniversary of the BJP government, the PM said, "Together we have experienced many moments of national pride in these years. Over these years, the country has followed the mantra of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'," he added.

PM Modi also said that in 7 years, many old contestations of country have also been resolved with "complete peace and harmony".

Yesterday, PM Modi announced financial aid for children orphaned by Covid under the "PM-CARES for Children" scheme. The prime minister announced free education, Rs10 lakh fixed deposits and health insurance of Rs5 lakh.

PM Modi said that the PM-CARES fund would contribute through a specially designed scheme to create a corpus of Rs10 lakh for each of them.

The corpus would give monthly financial support or stipend from 18 years of age. And, on reaching the age of 23, the children will get the corpus amount as one lump-sum for personal and professional use, the PMO said.

Moreover, all children will also be enrolled as a beneficiary under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), with a health insurance cover of Rs5 lakh. The premium amount will be paid by PM-CARES until they turn 18, it added.

"Mann ki Baat" is the Prime Minister's monthly radio address to the nation, which is broadcast on the last Sunday of every month.