Sweet selfie: PM lauds Kashmiri beekeeper Nazim
Nazeer, who runs a successful beekeeping unit, was one of the few achievers selected to interact with Modi after his public rally at the Bakshi Stadium
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday fulfilled the dream of a Kashmiri youngster, Nazim Nazeer, by taking a selfie with him after his Srinagar rally, and lauded his efforts for bringing a “sweet revolution” in the beekeeping sector.
Nazeer, who runs a successful beekeeping unit, was one of the few achievers selected to interact with Modi after his public rally at the Bakshi Stadium. During the interaction, Nazeer, a resident of Samboora village in Pulwama district, said it was his “dream” to get a selfie with Modi. After getting a selfie with Modi, Nazeer said: “It was my dream to get a selfie with PM Modi, which was fulfilled today.”
The PM later posted the selfie with Nazeer on micro-blogging site, referring the youngster as his “friend”.
“A memorable selfie with my friend Nazim. I was impressed by the good work he’s doing. At the public meeting he requested a selfie and was happy to meet him. My best wishes for his future endeavours,” Modi wrote on X.
During his interaction with the PM, Nazeer said he started his beekeeping venture with two boxes as a hobby but soon availed the benefits of a central scheme to increase the number of boxes to 25.
“The first extraction was 75 kg which earned me ₹60,000. I took a PMEGP (PM Employment Generation Programme) loan of ₹5 lakh and added 200 boxes. The yield was good and through online marketing, we sold around 5,000 kg of honey,” he said.
Nazeer further said he has increased the number of boxes to 2,000 and added 100 more youngsters to his beekeeping venture. “We got FPO (farmers producer organisation) membership in 2023. Now we earn ₹1 lakh per stall at different exhibitions,” he added.
After listening to Nazeer’s story, Modi lauded the young boy’s efforts and said he brought a “sweet revolution” in the beekeeping sector. “We have heard of green revolution and white revolution but you have brought about sweet revolution,” Modi said. “You are giving direction to the youth of the country. You are becoming the strength of the country. I thank you.”
