PM Modi offers prayers at Shri Manjunatha Swamy Temple in Karnataka's Dharmasthala

He proceeded to Dharmasthala, where he offered prayers at Shri Manjunatha Swamy Temple.

At a public meeting at Ujire, the Prime Minister distributed RuPay cards to Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana account holders.

He unveiled a logo to mark the launch of "Preserve Mother Earth, and Transfer to Next Generation" programme.

Addressing the gathering, he expressed happiness at the opportunity to pray to Lord Manjunatha.

He said that the current century is about skill development.

"India is a youthful nation, and hence, we must harness our demographic dividend," he added.

"Our saints and seers created as well as nurtured institutions which have helped society for centuries," the Prime Minister said.

Speaking about the opportunity to hand over RuPay cards to women Self Help Groups, Modi said that he is happy to see enthusiasm towards digital transactions.

He urged people to use the Bhim App and embrace cashless transactions.

"This is the era of honesty and integrity; there is no place for those who cheat the system," the PM said.

The Prime Minister said that every rupee, and every resource from the Government of India is devoted for the welfare of Indians.

"We are ensuring that the fruits of development reach the intended beneficiaries without any scope of corruption," Modi added.

Modi said that conservation of water is a major challenge for us in this day and age.

"We also need to give importance towards living in harmony with nature and not think about short term gains," he added.

He called upon the farmers of Karnataka to embrace methods like drip irrigation that help conserve water.