India most ancient living civilisation due to immortal ideas of seers: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday India is the most ancient living civilisation of the world due to the immortal ideas and philosophies of its saints and seers.

Speaking at the centenary celebrations of Jain spiritual figure Acharya Vidyanand Maharaj's birth anniversary here, PM Modi paid rich tributes to his contribution in different fields and asserted that his ideas have inspired the government's welfare schemes.

Be it providing house, drinking water or health insurance, the government is ensuring saturation coverage of its welfare measures so that no one is left behind, he said.

PM Modi also referred to the preceding speech of a Jain seer, noting that he was apparently blessing Operation Sindoor.

The prime minister's mere mention of "Jo humein chhedega" brought massive cheers from the audience but he did not dwell any further on the issue.

He said India introduced the world to the strength of "ahimsa" (non-violence) when it used violence to quell violence for thousands of years.

He said his government has vowed to rid the country of "slavery mindset".

He reiterated his nine pledges and urged people to follow them. The pledges are: saving water, planting a tree in mother's memory, cleanliness, going 'vocal for local', travelling to explore different places in the country, adopting natural farming, having a healthy lifestyle, sports and yoga adoption, and helping the poor.