PM Modi praises Chhattisgarh's 'Har Ghar Munga' campaign on Mann Ki Baat
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
A drumstick tree planted in a backyard is now national news. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spotlighted Chhattisgarh's grassroots nutrition drive — 'Har Ghar Munga, Ghar-Ghar Munga' — on his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat, giving the state-level moringa campaign a moment on the biggest public-outreach stage the government has. The Chief Minister's Office of Chhattisgarh shared the development on 27 September 2026, releasing a video of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressing gratitude for the Prime Minister's recognition.
What the 'Munga' campaign actually does
The scheme's name translates simply: 'Har Ghar Munga, Ghar-Ghar Munga' — 'Moringa in every home, moringa across every household.' The campaign encourages families across Chhattisgarh to plant moringa, commonly called drumstick or munga in the region, in their compounds. Moringa leaves are among the most nutrient-dense foods available — rich in iron, calcium, protein and vitamins — making them a low-cost, locally sustainable answer to under-nutrition, particularly in the state's tribal and rural belts.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, responding to PM Modi's mention, thanked the Prime Minister for drawing national attention to what is, at its core, a hyper-local intervention. The Chief Minister's Office posted a video capturing Sai's remarks, underscoring how seriously the state government is treating the recognition.
Why a mention on Mann Ki Baat matters
Mann Ki Baat — PM Modi's monthly radio address broadcast across India — has a distinct function in India's federal welfare architecture: it regularly elevates state-level schemes to national visibility, signalling to other states that a particular model is worth replicating. Chhattisgarh's moringa initiative joins a long list of grassroots programmes that have received this platform-amplification treatment.
The timing also lands within the broader frame of POSHAN Abhiyaan, India's national nutrition mission launched in 2018, which explicitly encouraged community-based, locally rooted food solutions to combat malnutrition. A moringa-in-every-yard campaign in a state where tribal communities face persistent nutritional deficits is precisely the kind of initiative the national framework was designed to catalyse — and reward with attention.
What comes next for the campaign
The real test is household coverage: how many families have actually planted moringa trees, and whether the campaign integrates with existing state and national nutrition monitoring systems. With PM Modi's mention now on record, the pressure — and the opportunity — for Chhattisgarh to report verifiable progress has measurably increased. A drumstick tree takes root in weeks. The data to prove it has taken root across the state will take longer.