Agartala, July 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a personally signed commemorative letter to Tripura’s National Award-winning science teacher Anjan Banik, marking the Prime Minister’s milestone of becoming India’s longest-serving continuously elected Prime Minister.
The letter, dated July 2, 2026, was delivered to Banik through India Post Speed Post on July 9. In the message, the Prime Minister acknowledged Banik’s greetings on the historic occasion and expressed his appreciation, reflecting his continued engagement with educators at the grassroots level.
The milestone marks 4,399 consecutive days in office for Modi, surpassing the uninterrupted tenure of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who served 4,398 consecutive days. While Nehru remains India’s longest-serving Prime Minister overall, Modi has now set a new record for the longest uninterrupted elected tenure.
In his letter, Modi described the achievement as a tribute to India’s democratic traditions rather than a personal accomplishment.
“This moment is a symbol of the abiding strength of India’s democratic traditions. It reflects the trust and blessings of 140 crore Indians,” the Prime Minister wrote, reaffirming that every effort of his life would remain dedicated to the service of the nation. He also conveyed his best wishes to Banik for his good health, happiness and continued success.
Reflecting on his government’s twelve-year journey, Modi highlighted achievements in financial inclusion, welfare programmes, housing, electrification, clean drinking water, infrastructure and digital transformation. He reiterated his commitment to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, stressing the importance of reforms, innovation, good governance and public participation, while expressing confidence that educators would play a key role in achieving this national goal.
For Anjan Banik, an Assistant Science Teacher under Tripura’s Directorate of Secondary Education, this is the fifth personal communication received from Prime Minister Modi during his tenure.
Banik is the only recipient from Tripura, the Northeast and eastern India of the NCSTC National Award for Science and Technology Communication (2022–23). He has contributed extensively to science education through national-level outreach programmes, authorship of NCERT science textbooks, mentoring initiatives and the promotion of innovative science communication.
Expressing gratitude, Banik said the Prime Minister’s letter would serve as a source of inspiration for science teachers, students and researchers, motivating them to continue promoting scientific temper, inquiry-based learning and innovation. He described the recognition as a matter of pride not only for him but also for Tripura’s academic and scientific community.
