PM Narendra Modi ,70th to 79th Independence Day speech , 80th Independence Day republic of India ,
PM’s address to the Nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 70th Independence Day
My beloved countrymen, on this auspicious occasion of our festival of freedom; I extend lots of greetings to the one hundred and twenty five crores fellow nationals and also to entire Indian diaspora spread all over the world, from this rampart of the Red Fort. This festival of our freedom, this 70 years of our Independence, is the festival for our resolution to take the nation to new heights with a new resolve and a new fervour and new energy. We are able to breathe in a free air as the result of the sacrifices, renunciation and penance of our millions of great forefathers. We are also reminded of the youths who kissed the gallows. We also remember Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Pandit Nehru and countless great persons, who fought ceaselessly for the freedom of our nation. It is the result of their struggles that we are now fortunate enough to breathe as a free citizen. India is a very ancient nation. We have a history of thousands of years and our cultural heritage is also millennia old. Right from the Vedas to Vivekananda, from the Upanishads to the satellites, the Sudarshan Chakradhari Mohan to Charkhadhari Mohan, from the Bhim of Mahabharat to the Bhimrao; we have a long historical journey and heritage. Our land has seen many historical ups and downs and our generations have waged many struggles and observed penance to bequeath great values to the humanity. India’s age is not just seventy years. But having won freedom after a period of subjugation; we have made efforts to take the nation forward in this journey of seventy years. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel united the nation. Now, it is the responsibility of all of us to make this nation better. We all have to work ceaselessly for the realization of the dream of ‘ One India, great India’. (Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat).
Brothers and Sisters, We have not attained freedom for free of cost. Innumerable were the atrocities, but undeterred were our resolves also. Every Indian was a soldier in the battle for freedom. Each one of them dreamt of an independent India. May be every one of them was not fortunate enough to sacrifice, may be each of them was not fortunate enough to go to prison; but every Indian had a resolve and the leadership of Mahatma ji and also the inspiration of countless revolutionaries who had sacrificed every thing. All these movements contributed to our attainment of Independence. But, now we have to convert this freedom into ‘the real freedom’. Now, this is the resolve of the one hundred and twenty five crores of Indians. So, just as we did not attain our freedom without sacrifices; we would not be able to attain ‘ the real freedom’ without renunciation, without human endeavour (Purusharth), without bravery, without dedication and discipline. So, in order to take ahead this resolution of one hundred and twenty five crore Indians; all of us will have to move ahead with our specific responsibilities in a most committed manner. Be it a Panchayat or the Parliament, be it a village headman or the Prime minister; every one of us as well as every democratic institution will have to shoulder their responsibilities completely and perfectly. Only then we will be able to realize the dream of our the real freedom as soon as possible.This is correct to say that our nation is beset with many problems now- a- days. But, we should never forget that if we have the problems, then we also have all the capacities to solve them. So, if we move ahead with all our capabilities, we will find the ways and mean to solve all these problems. So, brothers and Sisters, if we have lakhs of problems, then we also have one hundred and twenty five crore brains also which are all capable to solve these problems.
Dear Brothers & Sisters, there was a time when Government used to be surrounded by aspersions. But now time has changed. At present, no aspersions are being leveled on the Government. Rather, people have great expectations from it. When the Government is engulfed in expectations then it signifies hope and trust, which in turn generates those expectations. Expectations give pace towards good governance, invigorates and so the pledges are implemented ad continuum. My Brothers & Sisters, today when I am addressing you from the rampart of the Red Fort, it is, therefore, but natural that we should discuss the journey of good governance, the work done by the Government and work being done and should be done for the country. I can present before you a very detailed account of work done and also multiple issues regarding the performance of the Government. During the tenure of two years, the Government has taken innumerable initiatives and multiple tasks have been done. If I start giving details about them, I am afraid I will have to talk about it for a week from this very rampart of the Red Fort. So instead of that temptation, I would like to draw your attention towards the work culture of the Government. Sometimes, it is easier to present the account of work done. But, it is not easy for a common man to comprehend, understand and identify the work culture without dwelling deep into the work culture. My Brothers & Sisters, My Countrymen, I would not talk solely about the policy, but also the intention and decisions of the Government.
Dear Brothers & Sisters, it is just not an issue of direction and outline, rather it is about holistic approach and a resolve for transformation. It is confluence of trinity of expectation of people, democracy and support of people. It is both wisdom and consent. It is also pace and realisation of progress. Therefore, My Countrymen, when I talk about the Good Governance, it does implies bringing in transformation in the life of common man of my country. Good governance means that the government should be sensitive, responsive and dedicated to the common man. Then only good governance gets the emphasis. Responsibility and accountability should be at the root of it and it should draw its vital energy from there only for the government to be sensitive, dear Brothers and Sisters. We remember the days when there used to be a very long wait to go to any big hospital. People used to come to AIIMS, spend two three days and then only it would be decided what diagnostic tests were to be done. Now we have been able to change this system. Registration is done online and the doctor’s appointment is also given online. The processes start on arrival of the patient at the appointed hour itself. Not only this but all his medical records are also available online. And we wish to develop it as a countywide culture in the field of medical treatment. Today this system has been put in place in 40 big hospitals of the country. Its basic premise is that the government has to be sensitive.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, the government should be accountable. If it be not so then the problems of the common man are kept pending for solutions. How does the change come? Now technology is there, but there was a time when the railway ticket in the railways, concerning the common man and the poor was available only two thousand tickets per minute. Those who might have seen it, would know how the buffering used to be there, nobody knew when the website would be operational again, but today I have to say with satisfaction that now it is possible to have fifteen thousand tickets per minute.The government should be accountable, it should take steps according to the necessities and expectations of the people. There is a class across the country, particularly the middle class, higher middle class whom you see troubled more at the hands of the income tax officials rather than the police at times. I have to change the situation and I am trying and I will certainly change it.
There was a time when a common and honest citizen used to give two rupees extra as a measure of caution at the time of paying his income tax. He used to think that he might not be harassed, but once the money was deposited to the government exchequer, he had to run from pillar to post and seek recommendations for getting the refund. It took months together before the rightful money of the citizen was returned to him from the government exchequer. Today, we have made a system of issuing online refund. Today, refunds are given in one, two say or three weeks. Those who are hearing me today on TV, they would also be realising that they had not given any application, yet they had got refund directly into their account. So, this responsibility and accountability are the results of these efforts.
It is equally important to lay emphasis on the transparency for good governance. You know that a global relationship has already started to become a common thing in the society today. A middle class man wants to have his passport- there was a time when about 40 lakh, 50lakh applications were received for getting passport. Today, approximately 2 crore people apply for the passport. Brothers and Sisters, earlier 4-6 months were taken for scrutiny of applications if one did not have recommendations. We changed that situation and today, I can say with pride that passports are issued to the citizens with all genuine details, in about one or two weeks and there is transparency no recommendation is required and there is no dilly-dallying. Today, I can say, we have issued 1.75 crores passports (in 2015-16 itself.)
In Surajya there must be efficiency in governance and therefore, earlier, if a company had to set up a factory or desiring to do business in our country, applications were submitted. There was a task of registration only, one wanted to do something for the country, but almost 6 months passed in normal course. Brothers and Sisters, if efficiency is brought, then the same government, same rules, same officials have got geared up to perform the same task of company registration within 24 hours and they are virtually doing it. In the last July itself, they performed the task of more than 900 such registrations.
Brothers and Sisters, good governance is also necessary for Surajya and the steps we have taken towards this good governance are that, as I had said last year from the Red Fort that we would exempt group ‘C’ and group ‘D’ posts from interviews, they might get job on the basis of merit. We have detected almost 9,000 posts for which thousands and lakhs of people need to be recruited. Now, there would not be any interview process for these 9,000 posts, my young men would not need to spend any money for interviews. Recommendations would not be needed, roads for corruption and agents will be shut and this work has been implemented.
Brothers and Sisters, there was a time when a common man got satisfied if the government announced any plan or merely announced that this would be done, he used to think that something concrete would happen now. Then, a time came when people asked for the plan unless the drawing of the plan came. Then, there was a time when people asked for the budget. Today, the mood of the country has changed in 70 years. It does not get satisfied with the announcement, it is not satisfied by seeing the plan, if a budget provision is made, it is not ready to accept this. It is accepted when things get implemented on ground and we cannot bring things on ground with the old pace. We have to speed up our work, increase the pace further and then we can say that we have done something.
Rural roads are a perpetual issue in our country. Each rural citizen craves for pakka roads. Its a huge task. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji took this task specifically. Even succeding governments continued this and the work continued. We have made efforts to fast track it. Earlier 70-75 Km of rural roads were completed in a day. Now we have increased that pace up to 100KM a day. This pace will fulfil the aspirations of common man in the days to come.
We have aid emphasis on energy, specifically renewable energy in our country. That was a time, when after so many years of independence, we started working on wind energy. Within a period of last one year we have increased it up to 40%. So this is the scale of up acceleration. Whole world is focussing on Solar energy. We have increased it approximately 116%-118%. This is not only a substantial incremental change, it’s a huge leap forward. We intend to enhance the things in quantum way.
In our country, even before forming of our government, we had the power production. But to reach the power, you need transmission lines and the good transmission infrastructure. Two years preceding the formation of our government, 30-35 thousand kilometres of transmission lines were being laid annually. Today I wish to submit this with satisfaction that we have raised this to 50,000 Kilometres. So we have increased the pace here. If we take the commissioning of railway lines in previous 10 years, where commissioning means capacity to ply the trains and to finish all the trials, so earlier it was at the rate of 1500 kilometre in 10 years . But we have made it up to 3500 kilometre in last 2 years. We are to increase this pace even further.
Brothers and Sisters, Now we are connecting government schemes to AAadhaar Card, focussing on stopping the leakages through direct benefit transfer. Previous government had connected four crore people to government schemes via Aadhaar Card. Today I can say this with satisfaction that in place of that work of four crore, we have completed the task of connecting 70 crore people to government schemes via Aadhaar card. The remaining will also be taken into the fold.
Today, for middle class or for common people the ownership of a car is a matter of pride. There was a time when gas stove at home was deemed as a standard and as a symbol of social status. During the last 60 years of independence, 14 crore LPG gas connections were given. Brothers and Sisters, it is a great satisfaction to me that on one side, 14 crore gas connections were given in 60 years, while on the other side, we have given 4 crore gas connections in just 60 weeks. Please compare the two figures – 14 crore in 60 years and 4 crore in 60 weeks. This is the speed, by which a change has become possible in the quality of life of common men. We have also started the task of eradicating obsolete laws. The burden of unnecessary laws has been creating hindrance in the functioning of the government, the judiciary and the public. We have identified 1700 such laws, out of which 1175 laws have already been repealed by the Parliament and several other such laws are in the process of repealing.
Brothers and Sisters, it had become a tendency among the people to say that certain work can be done and certain other work cannot be done, certain work cannot be done now and certain work cannot be done ever. A kind of negativity was prevalent in the minds of people. Now, a clear break through is visible in the mindset, a new synergy is seen in the functioning of the government. When an accomplishment is achieved, it stimulates dynamism, which sharpens our determination and then, the end result is not far away.
Brothers and Sisters, when we had launched “Prime Minister Jan-Dhan Yojana”, it was almost an impossible task. There were banks and the governments, nationalisation had already taken place, but the common man of the country was not able to be a part of the mainstream of national economy.
Brothers and Sisters, we have attained this impossible task through inclusion of 21 crore persons under “Jan-Dhan Yojana”. This is not a matter of taking credit by the Government, it is really an achievement of 125 crore countrymen of the country, for which I salute them. The campaign for women pride in villages of the country is an important issue of today. The practice of open defecation should be stopped; toilets should be built in villages. When I had got the first opportunity to address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I had expressed my feelings about it. Now, I can claim that more than 2 crore toilets have already been built in villages of the country within such a short period. More than 70 thousand villages are now free from the practice of open defecation. We are working towards bringing change in the lives of common man.
I had earlier announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort that we would electrify those 18 thousand villages, which are still without electricity.We are going to complete 70 years of independence, but they had not seen electricity. They were forced to live in the 18th century. We undertook this task of making possible the impossible and today I am glad to say that, though we have not been able to complete even half the task within a thousand days, we are still away from the half-mark, out of the 18 thousand, electricity has reached ten thousand villages. I have been told that there are many among those villages who are watching Independence Day celebrations for the first time today on television in their homes. Today, from here I extend special greetings to those villages.
Brothers and Sisters, you will be surprised to know that at merely three hours journey from Delhi, there is a village called Nagla Fatela in Hathras region. It takes only three hours to reach this Nagla Fatela. But it took 70 years for electricity to reach there. 70 years, my brothers and Sisters! And therefore, I am introducing you to the work culture that we are following.
Brothers and Sisters, the LED bulbs were developed by the science and the researchers for welfare of every citizen. But in India it used to cost 350 Rupees. Who would buy it? And even the government would think, “It’s alright. The work is done. Someone must be using it.” But this should not be the attitude. If LED bulbs can bring about a change in the life of a common man, if it can ameliorate the environment, if it can improve India’s economy, then the government must make efforts in this direction. It is the nature of the government that it intervenes where it is not required and shies away from intervening where it is needed. We tried to change this situation, this work culture. And therefore, the bulb which used to be sold at 350 Rupees, it is now being sold at 50 Rupees because of governmental intervention. See the difference! 350 Rupees on one hand and 50 Rupees on the other. I do not want to ask where all this money used to go, however, thirteen crore bulbs have been distributed till date.
The politics of our country has become populist; the economic policies have become populist. If three hundred Rupees subsidy for each bulb had been given from public exchequer, the Prime Minister would have been applauded for doling out five hundred crore to the people. But we have ensured that they save thousands of crores by providing bulbs at only fifty Rupees. We have already distributed thirteen crore bulbs and we have resolved to distribute 77 crores and I would like to appeal to my countrymen to use LED bulbs in their homes and save 200, 300, 500 Rupees in a year and save energy and save our environment. The day we achieve the target of 77 crore bulbs, we would be saving 20 thousand Mega Watt of electricity. When we save 20000 Megawatt electricity, it means we save around 125000 crores rupees. Brothers and Sisters, you can save 125000 crore rupees of the country by using a LED bulb at your home. We can fight against global warming by saving 20000 Megawatt electricity and contribute a lot towards the efforts aimed at the protection of environment and a common man can also contribute to it. So, brothers and Sisters, we have worked in that direction-making the impossible possible.
You know that we depend on other countries of the world for energy and petroleum products and for that we have signed long term agreements with them so that we could get these products at fixed prices for a long period. We have entered into an agreement with Qatar for buying gas till 2024 but the prices are so high that it is costly for our economy. It was a result of our foreign policy relationship that we were able to renegotiate with Qatar, and the agreement which was the right of Qatar, and we were bound to buy gas from it till 2024, we negotiated with them and today, I can say with satisfaction that we made an impossible task possible, they renegotiated their prices and it will save 2000 crore rupees of the exchequer of India. They were entitled to get these 20000 crore rupees but the nature of relationship that we have with them and our policies have made it possible. The negotiations have been going on during the tenure of all the Governments and efforts were also made for Chabahar Port, which is an important link for connecting us with Central Asia, but today I feel satisfied to see an impossible task becoming possible. When Iran, Afghanistan and India collectively march ahead in a planned way for the construction of Chabahar Port, an impossible task becomes possible.
My brothers and Sisters, one thing, I want to talk about and which concerns the common man is inflation. It is true that the inflation rate had crossed 10% mark during the tenure of previous government. Due to our sustained efforts we were able to keep it below 6 percent. Not only this, we have, recently, made an agreement with the Reserve Bank of India that the RBI should take steps to control the inflation at the level of 4 percent with allowance of plus minus 2. We should leave behind the talks of balance between inflation and growth and work for moving ahead. But the country witnessed drought during last two years and the effect of drought are readily seen on the prices of vegetables and the outcomes of sluggishness of market have resulted in some problems. The decline in the production of pulses due to drought during last two years was also a cause of concern. But, Brothers and Sisters, if the inflation would have increased at the same pace as it had previously increased, I don’t know how the poor of my country would have survived? We have tried our best to keep it under check, but still people have lot of expectations from this government and dear countrymen your expectations are natural and I will not leave no stone unturned in achieving them. Whatever best I can do, I shall do that and keep the price of poor man’s meal under check.
My dear Brothers and Sisters, country is going to celebrate the 350th anniversary of Guru Gobind Singhji. How can the country forget the saga of sacrifice which has been the tradition of Sikh Gurus? Today, when we are celebrating the 350th anniversary of Guru Gobind Singhji, I recall one best thought expressed by Guruji. Guru Gobind Singhji use to say, how can I consider those hands pure which have not done any service, hands which have not strengthened by labour and have not developed any blisters by toiling hard? Guru Gobind Singhji use to say this. Today, when we are celebrating the 350th anniversary of Guru Gobind Singhji I remember our farmers. Whose hands are more pure than theirs? Whose hearts are more pious than their? Whose intentions can be more pure than theirs? I thanks our farmers that despite two years of drought, they consistently endeavored to fill our granaries, I greet them for this. Drought situation has changed and this time we are witnessing good monsoon. Heavy rains have also created problems at some places. Government of India stood with those states and citizen who suffered due to heavy rains. Today, I specially want to thank our farmers, because, when we are facing shortage of pulses and our farmers have shifted to other crops, and rise in demand of pulses by common man, I have to say this with content that this time our farmers have increased the sowing by one and half times. I want to thank our farmers because they have come forward to solve the problem of the crisis of pulses and find its solution. We have decided the MSP for pulses and declared a bonus on it. We have streamlined the process of purchase of pulses and promoting the farmers for cultivation of pulses. This will benefit us in a big way.
Brothers and Sisters, when I was talking about work culture, one thing was clear that I do not look at the issues in isolation but as a whole. Let us see it as integrated and just take agriculture under integrated things, we have developed such work culture with lot of hard work, the complete chain of which can produce a great result. First of all we focussed upon- the wellness of this soil, wellness of this land, soil health card, macro-nutrition, concern for micro-nutrition and made the farmers understand that this is lacuna in your soil, these are the good qualities, your soil is good for this crop, this is not suitable for this crop and gradually the farmers started(Narendra Modi) their planning according to this soil health card. The people, who have planned, tell me, sir our expenditure has been reduced up to 25 percent and 30 percent increase is being visible our production. This number is less at present, but in future as soon as this may pass on, this concept will gain momentum. The farmers have land and if they get water, then the farmer of my country has the power to produce gold out of the soil. The farmer of my country has this power and that is why we have emphasized upon water-management, emphasized upon water-irrigation, emphasized upon water-conservation. We are emphasizing upon how every drop of water may be utilised by the farmer, how to increase the importance of water, and get per drop more crop, micro irrigation. More than 90 percent irrigation projects were lying incomplete and stalled. We have taken up the responsibility to complete those projects first of all and will work in the direction that lakh of hectares of land may get the benefit of irrigation. We have taken a big leap towards solar pump so that the input cost of the farmers may be lessened because nowadays the farmers require electricity also, they require water, they need electricity, and electricity costs dearer. On account of it, the input cost of the farmer is going to be less, the recurring expenditure is going to be less and due to owning solar pump at home will result in owning electricity, owning the sun, owning the field, owing the barn and thus our farmer would be happy. We have succeeded in distributing 77 thousands solar pumps till now.
Brothers and Sisters, I would like to congratulate the scientists of our country. Good quality seeds are also required along with soil, water and solar pumps. The scientists of our country have developed more than 131 new farmable seeds compatible to the climate and nature of India, which have the capacity to enhance our per hectare production. The values they retain are also being increased. I heartly congratulate these scientists also. The farmers require urea as well as fertilisers. There was time when black marketing was in practice to get the fertilisers, there was time when the police had to lathi-charge for fertilisers. There was time when the farmer used to watch his crop being damaged in the absence of fertilisers before his very eyes. Brothers and Sisters, Fertiliser shortages are a thing of the past; they are now history. We have recorded the highest-ever production of fertilisers. This is likely to ensure timely availability of fertilisers to farmers.
Similarly, We conceptualized “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana”. It’s insurance cover includes maximum protection to farmer’s land and his agro-produce at a comparatively much lower premium, and that too with a guaranteed cover. We have constructed new warehouses to preserve 15 lakhs tons of food grains. Our country’s farmers will benefit only when we move towards value addition, and for this We have laid special emphasis on food processing for the first time. We have encouraged cent percent Foreign Direct Investment which would augment agro-based industries, and Consequentially, my brothers and Sisters, I believe it would help me and our farmers realize our dream of doubling latter’s income by 2022. These efforts would make it possible and for realizing the same, We have taken steps one after another.
Brothers and Sisters, Our country has a fancy for a trend. And the Governments, with an aim to leave an impression, have done a lot, and to fill the bill in this country, People go for some populist things and empty the exchequer. Governments have a trend of establishing an identity. Brothers and Sisters, I have tried my best to stay away from this allurement, and While doing so, I have tried to do several things in every range with the mantra of Total transformation, Transformation with transparency, Reform, Perform and Transform.
Brothers and Sisters, We are far more committed to build the image of Hindustan than that of our Government. Regardless of party’s identity, the Country’s identity holds primacy. For, If the Country moves on, it will yield dividends for the coming generations, for centuries, and exactly, for this reason, We have accorded primacy to the country’s identity and not to our party. Now a days, You must have observed the scope of our work in Railways. While we are talking about having Bio-toilets in train, we also cherish the dream of Bullet train. While We talk about “Soil Health Card” for farmers, we also want to march ahead in the direction of satellite and space technology. While talking about “Stand-Up India”, we are also taking steps towards “Start-Up India”. We are laying emphasis on Substance than on Symbolism. We are stressing on integrated development than on isolated development. Leaving aside entitlement, we are focused and emphatic on Empowerment because an empowering country, my brothers and Sisters, provides an identity to the Government through the prism of the newly declared schemes. But sometimes the old schemes just tumble down. Nevertheless, the Govts. is a continuity. If the earlier Govts. have done some work; then it is in the national interest that the next Government rectifies their shortcomings and gives a go ahead to these schemes. The arrogance that this was the work of your Government and this is my Govt; hence we would not do this work; is not in the fitness of the things in a democracy. This is why, with all humility, we have given similar importance to the schemes of the previous governments. This is the hallmark of our work culture as our nation is a continuous and a ceaseless system and we wish to retain that system. This is why, I have a project called PRAGATI. Under this project, every month, I myself sit and review all the on going projects. You would be amazed to know that almost 119 projects worth Rs. seven and a half lakh crores started by various previous Govts. were lying pending. I got all of them going. I said, so much of money have been spent on them, so, all these projects should be completed. Now they are all on the way to completion. We created a project monitoring group. I asked them to look into all such projects and find out as to when were they started. I came to know that some of them were started 20 years ago, the other were started somewhere between twenty five to thirty to fifteen years earlier. The people living in the areas of these projects know all. We identified such two hundred and seventy projects worth Rs. 10 Lakhs crores which were inaugurated by some earlier govts. and some crores of rupees were spent on all of them; but all that money was going down the drain. We started all such stuck up projects once again. Brothers and Sisters, such helding up and delaying of the schemes after having spent crores of rupees on them is a criminal negligence and we have tried to tide over such things.
Brothers and Sisters, earlier railway projects took at least two years in getting sanctions. A train is passing from somewhere, road have also been made on the both side; a rail over bridge is to be constructed. But the approval took two years. We have speeded up the approval process and have been able to shorten the approval time to three or four months, or maximum to six months.
Brothers and Sisters, however fast we may work, whatsoever may be the number of the schemes started by us; the touchstone of good administration of any Government lies in the last man delivery or the benefits accrued to that person. So, this has to be taken care off. Brothers and Sisters, when policies are clear, intentions are clear; then the sentiments behind the decisions are also a class apart and the decisions can be taken unhesitantly. So, due to the correct policies and the correct intentions our Government is taking unhesitant decisions and giving emphasis on the last man delivery.
We have seen and if you also go through the newspapers of Uttar Pradesh, every year there were stories about the outstanding balance of Sugar Cane farmers. Every year, there was news that this is not being done by the sugar mill owners, that was not being done by the state Govt, that sugar cane farmers are in distress. Thousands of crores of the rupees was outstanding. So, we made schemes in this regard and tired to ensure the last man delivery and also ensured that the amount should reach to the farmers. Brothers and Sisters, out of the total old outstanding balance of the thousands of crores of rupees, I would like to inform you with a lot of satisfaction that almost 99.5% has been settled. It has happened for the first time after many years. I can point out in solace that all the sugarcane which was procured and which came for marketing this time for that almost 95 per cent of farmers have got the price of sugarcane produced and I am sure and I believe that the remaining 5 percent of farmers will also be paid in the coming days.
Brothers & Sisters, We have initiated a mission to provide LPG Connections to the poor families. We have launched a dynamic mission under “Ujawala” scheme to get rid of smokes emanating from chulha for my poor mothers. A target has been laid down to provide gas connections to 5 crores poor families within 3 years. Efforts are in progress and we have already provided gas connections to around 50 lakhs and that also have been done merely within the last hundred days – you can imagine – that it may be possible to achieve the said target even before three years. We intend to emphasis upon Last Mile Delivery in this mission.
Post has steadily become irrelevant due to onlining of our Post Offices, Information Technology, Whatsapp, messages, e-mail. Our country is known as the chains of Post Offices and we have revamped these post offices. Post Offices are linked with poor and marginalised people. Postman is the only representative of the Government who is linked with the feelings and affections of the common man. We have never safeguarded the interests of the Post Man who has always got the affections of everyone and the postman always cares for common people. We have taken measures to convert our post office into a Payment Bank. By setting of these Payment Banks, a network of Banks will be set up across the villages in the country. People will get the benefits of Jan-Dhan account. The funds of MGNREGA for the common man is now being transferred into their respective accounts through ‘AADHAAR’, the cases of corruption are decreasing. Everyone will be benefitted through the mission of converting the Post Office into a Payment Bank.
Brothers & Sisters, PSUs in our country are merely set up for loss-making units or for turning into sick units slowly and steadily or for disinvestment. This has been the common practice in the past. We have strived to launch a new work-culture. Today, I can point out in satisfaction that we have succeeded to turn the operation of so called notorious Air India into an operational profit-making undertaking during the last year. It is a fact that which all the Telcom companies of the world are profit-making units, the BSNL was turning into a heavy loss-making undertaking. We have succeeded in bringing BSNL to operational profit for the first time. Nobody believed that the Shipping Corporation of India could also rake in profit, now it is bringing profit. There was a time when it was apprehended that how would a power factory last for a week. Whether we would be able to get coal for them or not. It also used to be reported that power factories have been shut down for want of coal. Now, we have sufficient stock of coal at the threshold of the power factories. It could be used for months by them. Dear Brothers & Sisters, we have achieved it.
Often, you must have seen that there is huge talk of corruption in our country. I have observed it myself that how corruption has looked the poor people from the lowest strata of the society and how huge amount of money is being wasted. We have linked AADHAAR Card and AADHAAR Number with the Government Policies. Dear Brothers & Sisters, earlier there was a system under which funds used to be released from public exchequer for widow pension, scholarship, persons with disabilities and minorities and also we used to receive list of beneficiaries. We looked into it deeply and found that even unborn children are also listed in it and getting benefit out of such schemes. These middlemen used to siphon off billions of rupees from it and nobody even took notice of it. But under the AADHAAR System, we have removed all these middlemen from the list of beneficiaries and directly transferred the amount to the beneficiaries and found that these are millions of such ghost beneficiaries who do not exist at all and used to receive billions of rupees from it. Now that has been checked. We saved lot of amount. We decided to find out the needy persons who were excluded from that list so that the amount of money saved from it should invariably be deposited into the accounts of those persons who want to fight for their rights. We have worked in that direction to deliver it to the last man delivery and we have made it to reach it to them.
All of us are aware of the Coal Scam. Today there is no accusation on the coal auction. No stigma is attached to it. The states which excavate coal in India, will continuously earn millions of rupees in the near future. There was a time when the auction of spectrum was surrounded by allegations. We auctioned it online and that has filled the coffers of the country, bringing about healthy competition and also fetching benefits for the nation.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, today the world is passing through an era of global economy. Every country today is inter-connected and inter-dependent. Economically, the whole world is somehow inter-connected in one way or other. However much we may progress in our country, we’ll have to keep the global economy, global arena in view; come up to the global standards, match it also to stay relevant, and contribute, and also lead the global economy when the time comes. Therefore, we’ll(PM N have to be alert all the time. We’ll have to comply with the global standards to make ourselves up to date. Recently, you must have seen how the World Bank, I.M.F., World Economic Forum, credit rating agencies and such other agencies in the world have all appreciated the progress of India. The world is constantly watching these things due to the decisions taken one after another by India in respect of legal reforms, improvement in system and changes in approach. We have very speedily improved our ranking in `ease of doing business’ ratings. In terms of foreign investment, with regard to foreign direct investment our country happens to be the most favourite destination in the world today. We have left behind even the big economies of the world in matters of growth rate and GDP.
Dear brothers and Sisters, do you know what an U.N. institute has estimated about India for the next two years ? They have estimated that in two years India will come up to the third spot in the economic sphere in place of its present level at number ten. Brothers and Sisters, logistic support, infrastructure, all these things are taken into account in global standards, comparisons are made with rich countries of the world. Brothers and Sisters, while making analysis regarding this logistic support and infrastructure of India, the World Economic Forum has said that India has reached above 19 ranks as compared to earlier positions and India is moving up and marching ahead rapidly. Brothers and Sisters, the way we are marching ahead with a dynamic and predictable economy in our country and also in global reference- the recently passed GST law, is also an empowering step towards it and all those parties deserve appreciations for this.
Brothers and Sisters, I had talked about a campaign from the same place- “Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao”. We do not do any work in piecemeal. We have an integrated approach and I still need the cooperation of the society in the initiatives which we have taken in “Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao”. Every single parent need to be aware. We should honour the daughters, protect them and give them the benefit of government’s schemes. We have covered millions of families under “Sukanya Samridhi Yojna” which guarantees benefits for the daughters when she grows up. We have given greatest importance to the insurance schemes in which women are benefitted. They are going to reap its benefits. We have “Indradhanush Tikakaran Yojna”- because if we ensure two things for our mothers and sisters i.e. economic empowerment and empowerment against health problems and we educate them, you can take it as an assurance that if even a single woman is educated in the family, if she is strong physically and independent economically, she has power to pull the poorest of the poor family out of poverty and therefore we are working with emphasis on empowerment of women, health of women, economic prosperity of women, physical empowerment of women in our fight against poverty.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, “Mudra Yojna”- I am happy that more than three and half crore families reaped the benefits of MudraYojna. In it, most of the people who reached to the door of banks were first timers. Even out of these almost 80 percent people were from SC/ST/OBC. Out of these too, 80 percent are women who took loans from banks, Mudra bank. This is to be considered that how will these womenfolk will contribute in economic development. Brothers and Sisters! last week we decided that our mothers and Sisters who have become the participants in the growth story, need leave after child birth. Earlier that leave was shorter but now we have increased this to 26 weeks, enabling the new mother to take care of her infant. Our weavers and the people working in textile, who make yarn and yarn rolls, used to get Rs.100.We have increased that to Rs.190 so as to strengthen the hands of my yarn producing mothers and Sisters. Our mothers, Sisters and weavers who are engaged in silk production will now receive Rs.50 more per meter of production. This has also been decided that this Rs.50 per meter will not go either to the trader or to the middleman or to the dealer. Instead this Rs.50 per meter will go via Aadhaar directly to the account of the weaver who has produced it. This will empower the weavers. We have started schemes with this intention and effect is now visible.
My dear countrymen! When we visualize railway and post office then we are able to see the unity of India. More we increase the institutions connecting India, our setup will change and that will enforce the unity of the country. So in the same tune we have started a new market scheme for farmers with the name ‘E-NAM”. Today farmers can sell their produce online in any of the markets of the country. Now he is not constrained to compulsively sell his produce in the market which is 10 Kilometers from his field .Neither to sell at low prices which is not remunerative for his hard work. Now a uniform sort of market network is establishing throughout the country with ‘E-NAM’. GST is soon to result in uniform taxation system and a unitary arrangement thus achieved will unite India as well. You will be amazed to know that earlier a zone was to have surplus energy and there were no takers. Another zone used to be in dire need of electricity, had to remain in dark and factories used to be shut. To effect a change in this scenario, we earned a great success with the ‘One nation, One grid, One price’. Earlier it used to be Rs.10 per unit in summers but I went to Telangana few days back to find it to be one rupee ten paise per unit instead of that age old Rs. 10. This is the result of one-price system, which can connect the whole country.
A worker of our county has to change his place of work after every one or two years. But, his amount, deducted under EPF, is not transferred. You will be surprised to know that when I took the charge of the Government, Rs. 27,000 crore were lying under EPF, which belonged to the workers. Workers were not able to claim their amount, as they were ignorant of the relevant process. To solve this problem, we have issued a universal account number to each worker, which would enable easy transfer of fund to his new place of work. Now, the worker would get his amount after retirement and it would no more be lying dormant in a government treasury.
We have strengthened various initiatives such as Bharat-Mala, Setu-Bharatam, and Bharat-Net etc. We are working towards connecting the whole country and towards economic development of the country through all these initiatives.
Brothers and Sisters, this year is important due to various reasons. The country is celebrating 1000th birth anniversary of Saint Sri Ramanuja Acharyaji. The country is celebrating 150th birth anniversary of Shrimad Rajchandra Ji, the Guru of Mahatma Gandhi. The country is celebrating 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh ji. The country is also celebrating centenary birth celebrations of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya ji. While remembering Sri Ramanuja Acharya ji today, I wish to underline his message to the country. He used to say that we should serve all the devotees of the Lord, irrespective of their caste and class. He had said that we should never humiliate anyone and should give respect to all, without any discrimination on the basis of age and caste. The issue that was given importance by Gandhi, Ambedkar, Ramanujacharya, Lord Buddha, our scriptures and by our all spiritual gurus too is the issue of ‘our social unity’.
If the society disintegrates, the empire straggles, gets divided into the highs and the lows, the touchables and the untouchables, then brothers and Sisters, that society cannot sustain. There are social evils, centuries old social evils, but if the social evils have become chronic, they need a bit harsh and yet sensitive treatment. The lackadaisical attitude will not solve the social problems and this is the responsibility of 125 crore citizens. The government and the society together will have to steer through the social conflicts. Brothers and Sisters, all of us will have to fight against the social evils. We all will have to rise above social evils in our own behavior. Each and every citizen will have to rise above them and then only we can build a strong India. Without empowering our society, we cannot make India strong. Mere economic progress does not guarantee a strong India, the guarantee of a strong India lies in a strong society. And a strong society is built at the edifice of social justice. A strong society is built only on the edifice of social justice. Therefore, it is our duty to lay emphasis on social justice. Whether they be Dalits, the downtrodden, the exploited, the deprived, my Adivasi brothers, the rural population, the urban population, the literate or the illiterate, the small or the big- the 125 crore of our fellow countrymen constitute our family. We together have to take forward our country and we all have to work in the same direction.
Brothers and Sisters, today the entire world acknowledges the fact that India is a country of youths. What cannot be achieved by a country through its youth power whose 65 percent population, about 800 Million people, is below the age of 35 years? Therefore, my brothers and Sisters, it is the need of the hour that the youth get opportunity and employment. Today we are heading towards the birth centenary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya spoke of welfare of the last human being which was even the view of Mahatma Gandhi. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya believed in the philosophy of ‘Antyodaya’. Welfare of the poorest and the weakest was the central theme of the political philosophy of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyayji. He used to say that every youth should get education, every youth should be skilled and every youth should get the opportunity to realise his dreams. We have taken many initiatives to realise those dreams of Pt. Deendayalji and to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of 800 million youths of the country. The way the road network in the country is expanding, the largest number of vehicles are being manufactured in the country, the country is becoming the largest exporter of softwares, more than 50 new mobile factories have been set up in the country, all these things have created opportunities for the youths. If two crore door toilets have been constructed, it has provided employment to someone, cement has been procured from somewhere, iron has been purchased from some other person, and the wooden work has been got done from somewhere else. As the scope of work expands, the possibilities of employment generation also increase. Today, we have stressed in that direction.
Similarly, we are working on ‘skill development’ as a mission so that crores of youth could acquire skills. We have changed a law, though it seems very small, and this law is ‘Model Shop and Establishment Act’. We have sent an advisory to states to give reasons why the big malls are allowed to open 365 days and upto 12 in the night but a small shopkeeper in the village has to shut his shop after sunset. Even a poor should get the opportunity to keep his shop open for 365 days. Why should our Sisters not get the opportunity to work in night? We have made legal provisions so that our Sisters could go to work in night also. There should be arrangements for their safety and other requirements but they must get the opportunity to work. These are the things which increase employment. Brothers and Sisters, we are working in that direction and we are ready to do it.
Brothers and Sisters, this is the government, we are the persons who don’t believe in delaying the things, we know how to fight not how to delay, so unless we deal with the problems head-on, it is not going to happen. Today when we are celebrating our freedom in the country, someone among the army jawans, who live and die for the country, would be ready for taking the bullets on the border, someone will be sitting in bunker and some other one would not be fortunate enough to meet his sister on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. How many jawans are working in armed forces? More than 33000 police personnel have got martyrdom since we got our independence. Why should we forget them and how can we? These are the people due to whom we can live a life of peace and happiness. The issue of “One Rank One Pension” was pending for many years. We do not keep the issues pending but we face them. We have fulfilled our promise of “One Rank One Pension” and have spread happiness in the home of every Indian soldier. We did this work.
It was the feeling of our countrymen that the files pertaining to Netaji Subhash Babu should be declassified. Today, I bow my head and say that without caring for the result we have decided to declassify these files; a task which was impossible and kept pending since long. We invited Netaji’s family members and shown them the files and this process of declassifying will continue. I requested the other countries of the world to declassify the files held by them and hand them over to India because Indians have full right to know about Subhash Babu and history of India. We have worked in that direction.
Bangladesh — When partition of India took place, a boundary dispute existed since then. A boundary dispute prevailed since the formation of Bangladesh. Many decades passed. Brothers and Sisters, all parties have together solved the Indo-Bangladesh border dispute and we have amended the constitution also.
Brothers and Sisters, a middle class person wants to construct his own house, wants to buy a flat. Builders lobby shows him a beautifully printed booklet and the helpless soul falls prey to it. He is not having any technical knowledge, he pays the installments but he is not getting the promised house in time. A middle class makes one house in his whole life and in it he invests all his capital. Brothers and Sisters, we have put a check by passing the “Real Estate Bill”, so that a middle class should not face any problem if he wishes to own a house. We have worked for this.
Brothers and Sisters, I have already said that this year is the 150th anniversary of Shrimad Rajchandra Ji, the guru of Mahatma Gandhi. When Gandhiji was staying at South Africa, then also he was having correspondence with Shrimad Rajchandra Ji. In one of his letter Shrimad Rajchandra Ji discussed violence and non-violence. In that letter Rajchandra Ji writes, when violence came in to existence from same time the principle of non-violence also born. The important thing in both is that which we prefer or which is being used in the interest of mankind.
Brothers and Sisters, the discussion of violence and non-violence is very inherent in our country. Humanity is in our blood. We are the people of a great, colossal culture. This country is full of diversity, colours and beauty. This is such a bouquet of mother India wherein all type of fragrances, all type of colours and all type of dreams exist. Brothers and Sisters, the unity of diversity is our biggest strength. The mantra of unity is connected to our roots.
Brothers and Sisters, a country having more than hundred languages, hundreds of dialects, innumerable attires, innumerable life styles, despite that this country remained united- its main reason is our cultural heritage. We know how to respect, we know hospitality, we know how to assimilate, we have carried this great tradition and that is why there is no room for violence and atrocity in our country. If the democracy of India is to be strengthened, the dreams of India are to be fulfilled then the path of violence would never bring success for us. Nowadays a game of killing the innocents is being played on the pretext of Maoism in forests, on the pretext of extremism at border, on the pretext of terrorism at hilly areas by carrying guns on shoulders. Forty years have passed, this mother soil has grown blood stained but the persons on the path of terrorism have not achieved anything. I would like to remind those youth that this country will never tolerate violence nor would it ever put up with terrorism. Nor would it bow down to terrorism. It will never succumb to Maoism. But I exhort them and say that you still have time-return to the mainstream. Just think about your parents’ dream; just reflect on the hopes and expectations of your parents; return back to the mainstream; live a happy and peaceful life, for, the path of violence never fetches benefit to anybody.
Brothers and sister, we talk about foreign policy. I don’t want to go into details. We had invited the leaders of SAARC Countries on the day we took oath at the Centre. Our message was clear that we all, neighbouring countries, have a common problem, and that common challenge is poverty. Let us fight this poverty together, by fighting one-another, we are left shattered but if we fight this poverty, we will walk towards prosperity. So, I exhort all neighbouring countries to join us in this fight against poverty. No freedom can be much bigger than the freedom of our citizens from poverty; freedom of our country’s citizen from poverty. No liberation is more liberating than the freedom from poverty. Whenever a citizen from the neighbouring countries would get freedom from poverty, we will feel elated regardless of the fact whether the poor belongs to us or our neighbouring country.
Brothers and Sisters, what kind of people are those who got drive from humanity and, what is the kind of those who reward terrorism? I want to place two pictures before this world, and I say to the world, I say to those who believe in humanity that just weigh out the attack, when terrorists brutally killed innocent children in a school at Peshawar. The attack take place in Peshawar, and was a terrorist incident. The innocent children became victim of the bloodbath; the temple of learning had blood stream all around; innocent children were slaughtered. Hindustan, the Parliament had tears in it’s eyes; Every Indian school was in tears; every child of India felt the trauma of the deaths of children in Peshawar. His tears had become unstoppable. Every child, who was killed in Peshawar in the terrorist attack, ached our heart too. This is the drive of our nurtured culture of humanity; this is our humanity, but if you look around, you will find a more to glorify terrorists.
Where innocent people are killed in terrorist attack, and they celebrate, what type of terrorism inspired life it is, what type of these creations of the terrorism inspired governments are? The world will understand these two differences properly, this is sufficient for me. Today I want to specially honour and thank to some people from the ramparts of Red Fort. For the past few days the people of Baluchistan, the people of Gilgit, the people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the way their citizens have heartily thanked me, the way they have acknowledged me, the goodwill they have shown towards me, the people settled far across, the land which I have not seen, the people I have not met ever, but people settled at far across acknowledge the Prime Minister of India, they honour him, so it is an honour of my 125 crores countrymen, it is respect of my 125 crores countrymen and that is why owing to the feeling of this honour, I want to heartily thank the people of Baluchistan, the people of Gilgit, the people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir for having an expression of thankfulness.
Brothers and Sisters, today when we are celebrating the seventy years of Independence, then there is a big contribution of freedom soldiers for the country. When there is a contribution of these freedom soldiers, then the Government is deciding to increase 20 percent in the honouring amount being received, pension being received by the all these honourable freedom soldiers family members. The freedom fighters who earlier used to get 25000 rupees, will now get 30000 rupees. It is my small effort to pay my respects to the sacrifice and oblation of our freedom fighters.
Brothers and Sisters, when we talk about the history of freedom struggle of our country, some persons are talked about a lot, some are excessively mentioned but the contribution made by the people living in jungles, the tribals, in the freedom struggle was unmatched. They used to live in jungles. We hear the name of Birsa Munda but perhaps there would be no tribal dominated district where the tribals would not have fought and given sacrifice since 1857 to the time we got freedom. They proved through their sacrifice what is freedom, what is struggle against servitude. But our forthcoming generations are not much aware of this history. The government desires and plans that in the coming days, in the states where these freedom fighters, who were tribals, who lived in jungles, fought against Britishers, who were not ready to succumb. The Government would work towards building permanent museums in various states dedicated to tribal brave freedom fighters, wherever land would be available for the purpose, where their contributions and memoirs would be displayed, so that coming generations could be able to know about their sacrifices for the country.
Brothers and Sisters, in the midst of the debate on inflation, we are realising one fact that the entire economy of a poor household is affected if somebody falls ill. The wedding of their daughters gets stalled, the education of children gets stalled and sometimes even food is not available in the evening. Healthcare is getting costlier and that is why, I am announcing an important scheme from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the healthcare of BPL families. Under this scheme, in the coming days, if such poor families have to take medical facilities, the government will bear expenditure upto Rs.1 lakh per year, so that my poor brothers are not deprived of healthcare facilities and their dreams are not shattered.
My dear Brothers and Sisters, let us proceed forward with a new determination, new energy, new enthusiasm by getting inspiration from those great persons who scarified their lives for our freedom. We did not get an opportunity to die for the country but we have the opportunity to live for the country. We should dedicate our life to the nation. We should achieve something of substance for the nation. We should fulfill our responsibilities and also inspire others to accomplish their responsibilities. We should stride forward for building of one society, one dream, one resolution, one direction and one destination. With this very pious feeling, I once again bow my head before the great personalities of the country, the soldiers who risk their lives for our security on water, land and air fields and also those 33 thousands martyrs who sacrificed their lives for us. So, I, hereby, dedicate myself to dream about the future of the country and call on all of you from the rampart of the Red Fort to speak with your full might : Bharat Mata Ki Jay! Let the voice reach to every corner of the world.
Bharat Mata Ki Jay! Bharat Mata Ki Jay! Bharat Mata Ki Jay!
Vandematram! Vandematram! Vandematram !
Jay Hind! Jay Hind! Jay Hind
PM’s address to the Nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 71th Independence Day
Best wishes to my dear countrymen on the momentous occasion of completion of 75 years of Independence. Many congratulations to all! It is heartening to see our tricolor being unfurled with pride, honor and glory, not only in all the corners of India, but also worldwide by Indians who love their country immensely. I extend my heartiest congratulations to all the people spread across the globe who love India. My heartfelt greetings to all my dear Indians on this Amrit Mahotsav festival of celebrating our freedom. This is a day of historic importance. This is an auspicious occasion to step forward on a new path, with a new resolution and a new strength (PM) .
In the pursuit of Independence, the entire period of slavery was spent in struggle. No part of India or any time period remained untouched by the freedom struggle against several centuries of slavery and marked by people sacrificing themselves facing torutre and making supreme sacrifice. Today is an opportunity for all of us countrymen to bow down and salute all such brave hearts, the legends of every sacrifice made by every great soul. This is an opportunity to also solemnly acknowledge their debt and pledge to fulfil their dreams at the earliest with deep resolve. All the countrymen are deeply indebted to Pujya Bapu, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Veer Savarkar, who devoted all their life on the path of duty towards the nation.The path of obligation has been their sole life path. This country is grateful to Mangal Pandey, Tatya Tope, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Chandrashekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla Khan, Ram Prasad Bismil and countless such revolutionaries of ours who shook the foundations of British rule. This nation is grateful to those brave women, be it Rani Lakshmibai, Jhalkari Bai, Durga Bhabhi, Rani Gaidinliu, Rani Chennamma, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Velu Nachiyar, who showed the mettle of women power of India. What is the resolve of India’s ‘Nari Shakti’? Every Indian is filled with pride while remembering the countless brave women who achieved the pinnacle of sacrifice.
Today is an opportunity to pay homage to countless such great men like Dr. Rajendra Prasad ji, Nehru ji, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Deendayal Upadhyay, Jai Prakash Narayan, Ram Manohar Lohia, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Nanaji Deshmukh, Subramania Bharati who fought the war of independence and built the country after independence.
When we talk about the freedom struggle, we cannot forget to acknowledge our tribal society living in forests. There are countless names like Bhagwan Birsa Munda, Sidhu-Kanhu, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Govind Guru, who became the voice of freedom movement and inspired my tribal brothers and sisters, mothers and youth in the remotest jungles to live and die for the motherland. It has been the good fortune of the country that there have been many aspects of the freedom struggle. And one such aspect was when many such great men like Narayana Guru, Swami Vivekananda, Maharishi Aurobindo, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore kept awakening the consciousness of India in every corner and every village of India, and kept this consciousness alive.
For the last year, we are witnessing how the country (is celebrating) the ‘Amrit Mahotsav’. It all began with Dandi Yatra in 2021. The people held programs in every district, every corner, of India to enlarge the scope of goals of the ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ of Independence. This was perhaps for the first time in history that such a huge and comprehensive festival for a single purpose was celebrated. An attempt was made in every corner of India to remember all those great men who did not find mention in history for some reasons or who were forgotten. Today, the nation sought out all such heroes and great men, selfless, brave men from every corner of the country and paid tributes to them. It was an opportunity to pay tributes to all these great men during the ‘Amrit Mahotsav’.
Yesterday on 14th August, India also remembered the deep wounds of Partition on ‘Partition Vibhishika Memorial Day’ with a heavy heart. Crores of such people had endured a lot for the glory of the tricolour. They had endured so much due to their love for the motherland and they did not lose patience. Their determination to start a new life with their love for India is inspirational and worth saluting.
Today, as we are celebrating the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, it is an opportunity to recall the contributions made by those who lived and died for the country, dedicated their lives for the country during the last 75 years, those who protected the country and fulfilled the country’s resolutions; be it the army personnel, police personnel, bureaucrats, public representatives, administrators of the local self-government, state administration or central administration. Today we must also recall the contributions made by the crores of citizens of the country who have done everything possible to take the country forward despite various challenges in 75 years.
My dear countrymen,
This journey of 75 years has been full of ups and downs. Amidst the shadow of good and bad times our countrymen have accomplished various achievements; they have made efforts and have not given up. They didn’t let the resolutions fade away. It is true that the hundreds of years of colonial rule had inflicted deep wounds on India and the sentiments of the Indians, but the people were resilient and passionate. And that’s why, Indians managed to revive the nation despite scarcity and denigration. When the freedom struggle was in its final stages, all measures were taken to frighten, disappoint and frustrate the country. There were apprehensions that after independence when the British would leave, the country would be scattered and in shambles; people would die fighting internal wars; India would plunge into a dark age.
But they were not aware that this is the soil of India. This country has the unlimited potential to survive across centuries and influence even beyond the powerful rulers. It is as a result of such immense capabilities and resilience that our nation has emerged strong despite facing innumerable adversities be it food crisis or war. We have aborted challenges hurled at us by terrorist activities which killed our innocent countrymen. We endured proxy war, natural calamities, successes and failures, hopes and despair yet remained undaunted at all such junctures. But even in the midst of these abysmal stages, India has been relentlessly progressing. India’s diversity, which others once thought was a burden to India, is proven to be the priceless power of India. A strong testimony of its power.
The world was not cognizant that India has an inherent potential of strong culture and values, a bond of thoughts deeply embedded in mind and soul; and that is – India is Mother of democracy. And when those who have democracy pulsating in their minds walk with determination and resolve, it augurs doom for the most powerful sultanates of the world. This Mother of Democracy, our India has proven to all that we have this invaluable strength.
My dear countrymen,
In the journey of 75 years, in the midst of hopes, aspirations, ups and downs, it is with everyone’s effort that we could reach this far. And when in 2014, my countrymen gave me this responsibility, I was the first Indian born in free India, who got the privilege to sing praises of glory to my dear countrymen from the ramparts of the Red Fort. But whatever I have learned today is from all of you. I have been able to understand your happiness and sorrows. I could sense your soul calling about the hopes and aspirations you have for your country. With whatever I could embrace of your dreams, I immersed myself fully in empowering those countrymen during my tenure who were left behind and deprived from being a part of the mainstream. Be they the marginalised, outcast, exploited, victimized, deprived, tribals, women, youth, farmers, or the divyang people. From the farthest of India’s east or west, north or south, ocean beds or Himalayan peaks, I have dedicated myself to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of inclusion. I have committed myself to his vision of empowering and uplifting the person sitting at the last mile. I can see the fruition of this mission in the past eight years because of the experience gained over several decades of independence. We are embarking on the glorious years of 75 years today on Amrit Mahotsav. On the first morning of this Amrit Kaal I am filled with pride to see such an immensely endowed nation.
Dear countrymen,
I am witnessing the biggest fortune today that Indians have emerged as an Aspirational Society. Being an aspirational society is the biggest asset for any nation. And we are proud that today every corner of India, every section and strata of our society is brimming with aspirations.
Every citizen of the country wants to change things, wants to see things change, but is not ready to wait. He wants these things to happen in front of his eyes and wants to do it as part of his duty. He wants speed, he wants progress. He is eager and excited to fulfill all the dreams cherished in 75 years before his eyes. It may cause problems to some people. Because when there is an aspirational society, then even the governments have to walk on the edge of the sword and also have to charge with the times. And I believe whether it is the central government, state governments, institutions of local self-government, no matter what kind of governance system, everyone has to address this aspirational society and we cannot wait longer for their aspirations. Our aspirational society has waited for a long time. But now they are not ready to force their future generations to live in wait and hence the first dawn of this ‘Amrit Kaal’ has brought a huge golden opportunity for us to fulfill the aspirations of that aspirational society.
My dear countrymen,
Recently, we have seen and experienced one such force and that is the renaissance of the collective consciousness in India. The renaissance of such collective consciousness, a nectar of so many struggles for freedom, is now being preserved and compiled. It is turning into a resolution, the culmination of effort is reckoned and the path of accomplishment is visible. I think that this awakening of consciousness, this renaissance, is our greatest asset.
Look at this renaissance. Until 10th August, people would not even be aware of the power within the country. But for the last three days, the way the country has set about celebrating the journey of the Tricolour, even the leading experts of social science can’t imagine the power within my country which has been shown by the Tricolor. This is the moment of re-consciousness and renaissance. People are still to understand this. One can experience this consciousness when every corner of India comes out to observe ‘Janata Curfew’. There is a feeling of consciousness when the country stands shoulder to shoulder with the corona warriors by clapping and clanging utensils. This consciousness is felt when the country goes out to greet the corona warriors by lighting a lamp. During Corona, the world was grappling with the confusion whether to take vaccines or not or whether the vaccines are useful or not. At that time, even the poor people of my country’s villages surprised the world with the administration of 200 crore vaccine doses. This is consciousness; this is potential, which has given new strength to the country today.
My dear brothers and sisters,
I can see an important potential. Like an aspirational society, like renaissance the attitude of the whole world towards India has changed in the same way after so many decades of independence. The world is looking at India with pride and with anticipation. The world has started looking for solutions to the problems on the soil of India, friends. This change in the world, this change in the thinking of the world is the result of our experience and journey of the last 75 years.
The world is observing the way we have started moving ahead with the resolution, and ultimately the world too is living with a new hope. The world has started realising where the power to fulfil the expectations actually lies. I see it as triple power or ‘tri-shakti’ i.e. aspiration, re-awakening and the world’s expectations. We are fully cognisant of this, today, my countrymen have a major role in awakening. 130 crore countrymen after several decades of experience have shown the world the importance of a stable government, the power of political stability, policies and how trust develops in the policies. The world too is now realising it. And now when there is political stability, dynamism in policies, speed in decision making, ubiquity and universal trust, then everyone becomes a partner in development.
We started our journey with the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, but gradually the countrymen have added more colours to it with ‘Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas’. So, we have seen our collective power and collective potential. ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ is being celebrated with the campaign to build 75 Amrit Sarovars in every district today. People from every village are joining the campaign and offering their services. With their own efforts, the people are running a massive campaign for water conservation in their respective villages. Therefore brothers and sisters, whether it is a campaign for cleanliness or the work for the welfare of the poor, the country is moving ahead with full force today.
But brothers and sisters, if we continue to glorify our 75-years of journey in the ‘Azadi Ka AmritKaal’ and keep patting our own backs, then our dreams might be pushed far away. So, even if the past 75 years have been wonderful, full of various challenges and certain unfulfilled dreams, yet today when we are entering the ‘Azadi Ka AmritKaal’, the next 25 years are very significant for our country. And that’s why today as I am talking about the strength of 130 crore countrymen, witnessing their dreams and feeling their resolutions from the ramparts of Red Fort, I believe we must focus our attention on the ‘Panch Pran’ for the coming 25 years. You have to concentrate on your resolve and strength. And we must take up the responsibility of fulfilling all the dreams of the freedom fighters by embracing those ‘Panch Pran’ by 2047 when the country celebrates 100 years of independence.
Speaking of ‘Panch Pran’, the first vow is for the country to move ahead with a big resolve. And that big resolution is of a developed India; and now we should not settle for anything less than that. Big resolution! The second Pran is that in no part of our existence, not even in the deepest corners of our mind or habits should there be any ounce of slavery. It should be nipped there itself. Now, 100 per cent this slavery of hundreds of years has kept us bound, has forced us to keep our emotions tied up, have developed distorted thinking in us. We have to liberate ourselves from the slavery mind set which is visible in innumerable things within and around us. This is our second Pran Shakti.
The third Pran is that we should feel proud of our heritage and legacy. Since it is this same legacy which had given India its golden period in the past. And it is this legacy that has an innate capability of transforming itself with time. It is this rich heritage that transcends tests of tide and times. It embraces the new. And hence we should be proud of this heritage.
Fourth Pran which is equally important is unity and solidarity. Amongst 130 million countrymen when there is harmony and bonhomie, unity becomes its strongest virtue. “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” – is one of the unifying initiatives to actuate the dream of the fourth Pran.
Fifth Pran is the duty of the citizens, in which even the Prime Minister, Chief Minister cannot be an exclusion as they are also responsible citizens and have a duty towards the nation. This virtue is going to be the vital life force if we want to achieve the dreams we have for the next 25 years.
My dear countrymen
When your dreams are big, your resolve is big, and therefore endeavours should also be bigger. Strength also adds up to a great extent. Recall the period of 40-42, it is difficult to imagine now how the country emerged from the shackles of the treacherous British rule. Some hands picked up brooms, while some chose spindles, while several chose the path towards satyagrah, some chose to struggle while many treaded the path of bravery of revolution. But the resolve of each was big- that of Freedom. Just see the power of their big goal– they achieved freedom for us. We became independent. Had their resolution would have been small and limited, we would have prolonged our days of struggle and slavery, but kudos to their indomitable spirit and big dreams, we could finally attained our freedom.
My dear countrymen,
As we wake up to this auspicious morning of 76th Independence, we must resolve to make India a developed nation in the next 25 years. The youth of today, all of 20-22-25 years, who I can see here shall be a witness to the glorious centennial celebrations of Independence. You will be 50-55 years old then, that means this golden period of your life, these 25-30 years of your age is the time to fulfill the dreams of India. Take a pledge and walk with me, friends, take the oath of the Tricolor and let us all join with full strength. This should be our great resolve that my country will be a developed country, we will develop a people-centric system in every parameter of development and we will have every human being and his hopes and aspirations at our center. We know that when India makes great resolutions, it also implements them.
When I first spoke about cleanliness during my first speech, the entire country embraced it. Everyone moved towards cleanliness as per his capacity and there is now antipathy towards filthiness. This is the country which has done it, is doing it and will continue to do so in future also. When the world was in a dilemma, this is the country which crossed the target of 200 crore vaccinations in a time-bound manner and broke all the previous records. We are dependent on the fuel from the Gulf. We had decided how to move towards bio-oil. The 10 percent ethanol blending seemed like a very big dream. Old experiences showed that it was not possible, but the country has realized this dream of 10 percent ethanol blending before time.
Brothers and sisters,
Providing electricity connection to 2.5 crore people in such a short time was not a small task, but the country has done it. Today the country is rapidly providing ‘water from tap’ to the homes of lakhs of families. Freedom from open defecation has become possible in India today.
My dear countrymen,
Experience tells us that we can achieve our goals once we are determined. Be it the goal of renewable energy, the intention of building new medical colleges in the country or creating a workforce of doctors, the pace has increased a lot in every field. And that’s why I say that the coming 25 years should be of huge resolutions, this should be our life and this should be our pledge.
The second thing that I have mentioned is the mentality of slavery and the attitude of the country. Brothers, how long will the world continue to give certificates to us? How long will we live on the certificates of the world? Shall we not set our own standards? Can a country of 130 crores not make an effort to exceed its standards? Under no circumstances should we try to look like others. It should be our temperament to grow with our own potential. We want freedom from slavery. The element of slavery should not remain in our mind even under the distant seven seas, friends. And I look with hope the way the new National Education Policy has been formulated with a lot of brainstorming, with the exchange of ideas from various people and is at the root of the country’s education policy. The skill that we have emphasized is such a power, which will give us the strength to be free from slavery.
We have seen that sometimes our talent gets tied in the shackles of language. This is the result of slave mentality. We should be proud of every language of our country. We may or may not know the language, but we should be proud that it is the language of my country and it is the language given to the world by our ancestors.
Friends,
Today we are witnessing the structure of Digital India. We are looking at start-ups. Who are these people? This is that pool of talent who lives in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, or in villages and belongs to poor families. These are our youngsters who are coming before the world today with new discoveries. We have to give up the colonial-era mentality. Instead, we must rely on our capabilities.
Secondly, we must feel proud of our heritage. Only when we connect with our land, we will be able to fly high, and when we fly high, we will be able to provide solutions to the world too. We have seen the impact when we take pride in our heritage and culture. Today the world is talking about holistic health care. But when it talks about holistic health care, it looks towards India’s yoga, India’s Ayurveda and India’s holistic lifestyle. This is our legacy that we are providing the world with. The world is being influenced by it today. Now look at our strength. We are the people who know how to live with nature. We know how to love nature. Today the world is facing environment related problems. We have that legacy and the solutions to the problems of global warming. Our ancestors have given us the same. When we talk about an environment-friendly lifestyle and LIFE mission, we attract the attention of the world. We have this power. Coarse paddy and millets are household items. This is our heritage. Due to the hard work of our small farmers paddy flourished on small pieces of land. Today the world is moving ahead to celebrate the millet year at the international level. That means our heritage is being appreciated around the world today. Let us learn to be proud of it. We have a lot to offer to the world.
When it comes to social stress, people talk of our family values; whenever it comes to personal stress, people talk of yoga. When it comes to collective tension, the people talk of the family system of India. The joint family system is an asset. Due to the sacrifices made by our mothers and sisters over the centuries, the ‘joint family system’ has evolved as a legacy. This is our legacy. How can we not be proud of this heritage? We are those people who see Shiva in every living being. We are those people who see Lord Narayana in every man. We are people who call women ‘Narayani’. We are people who see the divine in the plants. We are the people who consider the rivers as mother. We are those people who see Shankar in every stone. This is our power. It is our potential to see every river as a form of mother. Such enormity of the environment is our pride! When we are proud of such heritage, the world too will feel proud of it.
Brothers and sisters,
We are the people who have given the world the mantra of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. We are the people who believe in “Ekam Sadvipra Bahudha Vadanti”.
In the period of ‘holier than thou’ mentality, today the world is facing a severe crisis due to conflicts caused by the attitude of one upmanship- the reason for all tensions. We have the wisdom to resolve this. Our scholars have said “Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti” meaning that absolute Truth is one but it is manifested differently. This is our glory. We are the ones who say “yat pinde tat brahmande”, such a wise thought that Whatever is in the universe is in every living being. We were the proponents of such human values.
We are the people who have seen the welfare of the world; we have been on the path of collective good and individual good, not only for our people but the whole world by believing in “sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ, sarve santu nirāmayāḥ”. It is ingrained in our values that we will pray that may all be prosperous and happy, may all be free from illness, may all see what is auspicious, and may no one suffer. It is our heritage to care for the happiness and good health of all. Hence, we should learn to honour and feel proud of our heritage and value system. It is the strength of our resolve that will be crucial in achieving the dreams in the next 25 years.
In the same way, my dear countrymen,
Another very important issue is Unity and solidarity. We need to celebrate the diversity of our huge country. The peaceful co-existence of innumerable traditions and creeds are our pride. For us all are equal. No one is inferior or superior; all are our own. This feeling of oneness is important for unity. The foundations of unity can be laid in every home only if son and daughter enjoy equality. If the family seeds gender discrimination across its generations then the spirit of Unity can never be woven in society. Gender equality is our first stipulation. When we talk of Unity, why not have only one parameter or standard-that of India First. All my endeavours, everything that I am thinking, saying, envisioning or visualising is in accordance with India First. This way the path to Unity can be opened for all of us my friend. This is the mantra we need to embrace to bind all of us in oneness. I have full faith that we can thus diminish the discrimination prevalent in our society. We endorse the value of Shramev Jayate which means that it should be in our nature to respect the labourer.
But my brothers and sisters
From the ramparts of Red Fort, I also want to share one of my enduring pains. I cannot hold myself from expressing my pain. I am mindful that it may not befit the podium of the Red Fort. But I will still express my deepest feelings of agony to my countrymen. If I do not open up in front of the countrymen, then where will I say it after all? What I wish to share is that it hurts me to say that we have witnessed a perversion in our day-to-day speaking, behavior. We have been casually using language and words that are insulting to women. Can we not pledge to get rid of everything in our behavior, culture and everyday life that humiliates and demeans women? Women’s pride is going to be a huge asset in fulfilling the dreams of the nation. I see this power and therefore I am insistent on it.
Dear countrymen,
I will now talk about the fifth life force – pran which is the duties of citizens. While trying to understand all the countries in the world that have made progress; every country that has achieved something, even in personal life, few things emerged. One is disciplined life, and the other is devotion to duty. There should be success in the life of the individual, of the society, of the family, of the nation. This is the fundamental path and the fundamental vital force.
It is the job of the government to make efforts to provide 24 hours electricity but it is the duty of the citizen to save as many units as he can. It is the responsibility and efforts of the government to supply water to every field, but a voice should come from each of my fields that we will move forward by saving water by focusing on ‘per drop more crop’. It is our duty to do chemical free farming, organic farming and natural farming. Friends, whether it is police or people, ruler or administrator, no one can be untouched by this civic duty. If everyone performs the duties of a citizen, I am sure that we can achieve the desired goals ahead of time.
My dear countrymen,
Today is also the birth anniversary of Maharishi Aurobindo. I bow at the feet of that great man. But we need to remember the great man who gave a call for ‘Swadeshi to Swaraj’ and ‘Swaraj to Suraj’. This is his mantra. We all need to think how long we will be dependent on other people of the world. Can we outsource when our country needs food grains? When the country decided that we will meet our food requirements, did the country demonstrate it or not? Once we take a resolution, it is possible. And, therefore, ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ becomes the responsibility of every citizen, every government and every unit of society. ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ is not a government agenda or a government programme. This is a mass movement of society, which we have to take forward.
My friends, today we heard this sound after 75 years of independence for which our ears were yearning to hear. For the first time after 75 years, the Made in India cannon has saluted the Tricolour from the Red Fort. Will there be any Indian who will not be inspired by this sound? My dear brothers and sisters, today I want to congratulate the soldiers of the army of my country from my heart. I salute the way the army jawans have shouldered this responsibility of self-reliance in an organized way and with courage. The soldier of the army carries death in his hands. He stands firmly in the middle when there is no gap between death and life. The resolution of our country is not small when the armed forces make a list and decide not to import 300 defence products.
In this resolution, I can see the seed of a bright future of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ that will convert this dream into a banyan tree. Salute! Salute! Salute to my army officers!
I also want to salute the little children between 5 and 7 years of age. The nation’s consciousness has been awakened. I have heard from countless families that 5-7 year old children tell their parents that they do not want to play with foreign toys. When a 5-year-old child makes such a resolution, it reflects the spirit of self-reliant India in him.
Speaking of the PLI scheme, one lakh crore rupees, people from around the world are coming to India to try their luck. They are bringing new technology along with them. They are generating new employment opportunities. India is becoming a manufacturing hub. It is building a foundation for a Self-reliant India. Be it manufacturing of electronic goods or mobile phones, today the country is progressing at a very fast pace. Which Indian wouldn’t be proud when our Brahmos is exported to the world? Today the Vande Bharat train and our metro coaches are becoming objects of attraction for the world.
My dear countrymen,
We have to become self-reliant in the energy sector. How long will we be dependent on others in the field of energy? We should be self-reliant in the fields of solar energy, wind energy, and various other renewable energy sources like Mission Hydrogen, bio fuel and electric vehicles.
My dear countrymen,
Today natural farming is also a way of becoming self-reliant. Today the factories of Nano Fertilizer have brought a new hope in the country. But natural farming and chemical-free farming can give a boost to self-reliance. Today, new employment opportunities in the form of green jobs are opening up very fast in the country. India has opened up ‘space’ through its policies. India has come up with the most progressive policy regarding drones in the world. We have opened up new doors of opportunities for the youth of the country.
My dear brothers and sisters,
I also call upon the private sector to come forward. We have to dominate the world. One of the dreams of a self-reliant India is to ensure that India does not lag behind in fulfilling the needs of the world. Even if it is the MSMEs we have to take our products to the world with ‘Zero Defect – Zero Effect’. We have to be proud of Swadeshi.
My dear Countrymen,
Till today we always remember our revered Lal Bahadur Shastri ji for his inspirational clarion call of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan meaning “Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer”. Later Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji added a new link of Jai Vigyan which meant “hail science” and we gave it utmost importance. But in this new phase Amrit Kaal now it is imperative to add jai anusandhaan that is “hail innovation”.
Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Jai Vigyan Jai Anusandhaan.
I repose my utmost faith in our youth of the nation. Witness the power of indegenious innovations. Today we have many success stories to show to the world – UPI-BHIM, our digital payment, our compelling position in the domain of Fintech. Today in the world, 40 percent of real time digital financial transactions are happening in my country. India has shown innovation prowess to the world.
My dear Countrymen,
Today we are all set to enter the 5G era. You don’t have to wait too long before we match the global steps. We are ensuring that optical fiber reaches each and every village until the last mile. I am fully informed that the dream of Digital India will be attained through rural India. Today I am happy that four lakh Common Service Centers of India are being developed in villages which are being managed by the youth of that village. Nation can take pride in the fact that four lakh Digital Entrepreneurs are being nurtured in the villages, and the rural population is becoming accustomed to benefit from all the services. Such is the power of India to become a technology hub in itself.
My dear countrymen,
This Digital India movement of developing semiconductors, entering the 5G era, spreading the network of optical fibres is not just to establish ourselves as modern and developed, but it is possible because of three intrinsic missions. The complete transformation of the education ecosystem, revolution in health infrastructure and improvement in the quality of agricultural life will be possible only through digitalisation.
Friends,
I can foresee that India will march ahead phenomenally in this decade which is hailed as the techade for humanity. It is a decade of technology. In the field of IT india has become a force to reckon with globally. We have the competencies to contribute in this techade.
Our Atal Innovation Mission, our incubation centres, our startups are developing a whole new sector, opening up new opportunities for the younger generation. Whether it is a matter of space mission, whether it is about our Deep Ocean Mission, whether we want to go deep into the ocean or we have to touch the sky, these are new areas, by which we are moving forward.
My dear countrymen,
Let us not forget this and India has seen this for centuries, while some model works are needed in the country, some great heights must be achieved, but at the same time we should remain rooted and grounded while accomplishing heights as a nation.
Potential of the economic advancement of India is dependent on the strength of the grassroot. Hence, we must acknowledge and strengthen the potential of our small farmers, entrepreneurs, small and medium sized enterprises, cottage industries, micro industries, street vendors, domestic labourers, daily wagers, auto rickshaw drivers, bus service providers etc. These form the largest population who need to be empowered. Being able to do so shall guarantee India’s potential and therefore our efforts are going in the direction of giving maximum emphasis to this strata which is the fundamental grass root force of our economic development.
My dear Countrymen
We have 75 years of experience, and we have also achieved many accomplishments in these 75 years. We have cherished new dreams and taken new resolutions in 75 years of experience. But, what should be the optimum outcome of our human resources for the ‘Amrit Kaal? How to get the optimum outcome of our natural wealth? We have to move forward with this goal. I want to say something from the experience of the last few years. You must have seen the power of ‘Nari Shakti’ in courts who are working in the field of Law. Look at the public representatives in the rural area. Our ‘Nari Shakti’ is devotedly engaged in solving the problems of our villages. Look at the field of knowledge or science, the ‘Nari Shakti’ of our country is visible right at the top. Even in the police force, our ‘Nari Shakti’ is taking the responsibility of protecting the people. In every walk of life, whether it is the playground or the battlefield, the ‘Nari Shakti’ of India is coming forward with a new strength and a new belief. I can see the manifold contribution of ‘Nari Shakti’, my mothers, sisters and daughters, in the next 25 years compared to the contribution in the last 75 years of India’s journey. And hence, it is beyond assessment. Everything is beyond your parameters. The more we pay attention to this aspect, the more opportunities and facilities we provide to our daughters, they will return us much more than that. They will take the country to a new height. If the considerable efforts of our ‘Nari Shakti’ are added to the hard work that is required to fulfill the dreams in this ‘Amrit Kaal’, then it will take less hard work and our time limit will also be reduced. Our dreams will be more intense, vivacious and resplendent.
Therefore, friends, let’s move ahead with our responsibilities. Today I also want to thank the framers of the Constitution of India for giving us the federal structure. Our dreams are bound to be realized if we walk shoulder to shoulder by maintaining this spirit and respecting its sentiments in this ‘Amrit Kaal’. Programs may differ, working styles may differ, but resolutions can’t differ, dreams for a nation cannot be different.
Let us move towards such an era. I remember the government at the Centre did not belong to our ideology when I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. But I used to follow the same mantra that the progress of Gujarat is for the progress of India. India’s progress should be at the core of our heart wherever we are. There are many states of our country, which have played a great role in taking the country forward, have led and worked as examples in many fields. This gives strength to our federalism. But today the need of the hour is that we need cooperative federalism as well as cooperative competitive federalism. We need competition for development.
Every state should feel that it is moving ahead, that it will race ahead by toiling hard. If a particular state has done 10 good tasks, others shall do 15 good tasks. If a state has completed a job in three years, others should complete the same job in two years. There should be an atmosphere of competition between the states and all the units of the government which should strive to take us to new peaks of development.
My dear countrymen,
When we talk of the 25 years of Amrit Kaal, I know that there would be many challenges, limitations and problems. We do not underestimate these. We keep on looking for ways and are constantly striving but I wish to discuss two things here. There may be many issues to discuss but considering the time constraint, I would like to talk about two things right now. And I believe that because of all these challenges and problems if we do not take corrective steps while there is still time during 25 years of ‘Amrit Kaal’, then it could take a turn for the worse. So, I do not want to discuss everything but would definitely want to focus on two issues. One is corruption and the other is nepotism and the dynasty system. In a democracy like India where people are struggling with poverty and do not have a place to live, there are people who do not have a place to keep their ill-gotten money. This is not an ideal situation. So we have to fight against corruption with all our might. In the last eight years, we have been successful in working for the betterment of the country by saving two lakh crore rupees which used to go into the wrong hands, using all the modern systems like Direct Benefit Transfer, Aadhaar and Mobile. Those who fled the country after looting banks during the tenure of the previous government, we have seized their property and are trying to get them back. Some have been forced to go behind the bars. We are trying to ensure that those who looted the country are compelled to return.
Brothers and sisters,
I can clearly see that we are entering a crucial period against corruption. Even the big ones will not be able to escape. With this spirit, India is now stepping into a decisive period against corruption. And I am saying this with a great responsibility from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Brothers and sisters, the corrupt are eating away the country like termites. I have to fight against it, intensify the fight and have to take it to a decisive point. So, my 130 crore countrymen, please bless me and support me! Today I have come to seek your support and cooperation so that I can fight this battle. I hope the country becomes victorious in this war. The lives of the ordinary citizens have been ruined by corruption. So, I want to make sure that the ordinary citizens are once again able to live with dignity. My dear countrymen, it is a matter of great concern that although abhorrence of corruption in the country is visible and expressed, sometimes the generosity towards the corrupt is shown which is not acceptable in any country.
And many people have gone so shameless that despite being convicted in court, having been proved corrupt, having been sentenced for imprisonment, while still serving in jail, they continue to glorify, take pride and continue to elevate their status. Unless there is hatred towards filth in the society, the consciousness for cleanliness does not arise, unless we develop hatred towards the corrupt and corruption, until we relegate these people to social shaming, such mentality will not change. And that’s why we need to be very aware of corruption and corrupt people.
Another point to highlight is rampant nepotism. And whenever I talk about nepotism or dynasty, people think I am talking only in the context of politics. Not at all. Unfortunately, it is being nourished in other Indian institutions as well. Family bias Nepotism has gripped many of our institutions today. This is sadly harming the immense talent pool of our country. The future potential of my country is suffering. Those who are legitimate contenders of these opportunities and are genuinely eligible get sidelined due to nepotism. This is a good reason for corruption. Since they feel that they stand no chance to avail opportunities as per norms, these potential and deserving candidates resort to paying bribes to get a job. All of us have to work hard on fighting Nepotism by becoming more aware and creating an antipathy for this. Only such efforts can save our institutions and ingrain ethical behaviour in our future generations. This is mandatory to ensure a bright future of our institutions. Similarly, in politics too, family bias or dynasty has done the most injustice to the country’s strength. It becomes a way to benefit only the family and has no connection towards the national good.
And therefore, while remembering the Constitution of India, standing under the tricolor from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I want to say with an open heart to all the countrymen- let us all join hands for the purification and cleansing of Indian politics and for the cleansing of all the institutions of India, we have to liberate the country from this family mentality and move towards taking the country forward on the basis of merit. It is more imperative now than ever. Otherwise, everyone will carry heavy resentment that s/he was deserving but could not succeed as there was no family member vouching for them in the ecosystem. Such a mentality is not good for any country.
Dear youth of my country, for your bright future, for your dreams, I seek your support in the fight against nepotism. I want your support in the fight against dynastic politics. I consider this as my constitutional responsibility. The responsibility of a democracy. I believe in the power of words spoken from the ramparts of this Red Fort. And hence I request you to support this opportunity. We have noticed this in the accolades we received at the sports world in the last few days. It’s not that we did not have such great talent in the past. It is not that our sons and daughters, the youth of India, are not achieving anything in the world of sports. But sadly they have been pushed out due to the nepotism channel. The ones that qualified to reach the competition in other countries were least bothered about winning medals for the country. But when transparency was reinstated, selection was on the merit of the sportsperson and the talent was honoured on the playgrounds. It is a moment of pride today to see the tricolor flying high and the national anthem reverberating at the stadiums globally.
One feels proud when there is freedom from dynasty and nepotism, and such results come along. My dear countrymen, there are many challenges no doubt. But if there are crores of problems before this country, then there are also crores of solutions and I have faith in 130 crore countrymen. When 130 crore countrymen take one step ahead with a set goal and the commitment to resolve, India moves 130 steps forward. We have to move forward with this capability. This is the first dawn of the ‘Amrit Kaal’ and we should not forget a single moment for the next 25 years. To live for the motherland each day, every moment of time and every particle of life will be our true tribute to the freedom fighters. Only then, the virtuous remembrance of all those who contributed in taking the country to this point in the last 75 years will be of use.
I urge the countrymen to start the ‘Amrit Kaal’ today by nurturing new possibilities, realizing new resolutions and moving ahead with confidence. The ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ of freedom has turned in the direction of ‘Amrit Kaal’ and, therefore, ‘Sabka Prayas’ is necessary in this ‘Amrit Kaal’. ‘Sabka Prayas’ is going to yield this result. The spirit of Team India is going to take the country forward. This Team India of 130 crore countrymen will realize all the dreams by moving forward as a team. With this belief, speak with me,
Jai Hind!
Jai Hind!
Jai Hind!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Vande Mataram!
Vande Mataram!
Vande Mataram!
Thanks a lot!
PM addresses the Nation from ramparts of Red Fort on 72nd Independence Day
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, on the occasion of the 72nd Independence Day.
Asserting that India is today brimming with self-confidence, the Prime Minister mentioned developments such as the success of Navika Sagar Parikrama by six young women naval officers, and the achievements of young Indian sportspersons from humble backgrounds. He mentioned the blooming of Neelakurinji flowers in the Nilgiri hills, a phenomenon that occurs once every 12 years. He said that the recently concluded session of Parliament, was one dedicated to the cause of social justice. He noted that India is now the world’s sixth largest economy.
The Prime Minister paid homage to the freedom fighters and martyrs. He saluted the jawans of the security forces and police forces. He recalled in particular, the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which happened on Baisakhi day in 1919. He offered condolences to people affected by floods in some parts of the country.
He quoted poet Subramaniam Bharti to say that India will show the world the path to freedom from all kinds of shackles. He said such dreams were shared by countless freedom fighters. And an inclusive Constitution was drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar to achieve this dream of a nation where there is justice for the poor, and equal opportunities for all to move forward. He said that Indians are now coming together to build the nation. He gave examples of the pace of development in various fields such as toilet construction, electricity reaching villages, LPG gas connections, house construction etc.
He said that the Union Government had taken decisions which had been pending for long, including higher MSP for farmers, GST, and One Rank – One Pension. He said this has become possible because the Union Government has kept national interest supreme.
The Prime Minister mentioned how international organizations and agencies were looking at India very differently today, as compared to 2013. He said that from a time of “policy paralysis”, India had moved to “Reform, Perform, Transform.” He said India is now a member of several important multilateral organizations, and is leading the International Solar Alliance.
The Prime Minister said that the North-East is today in the news for achievements in sports, for connecting the last unconnected villages with electricity, and for becoming a hub of organic farming.
The Prime Minister mentioned 13 crore loans being disbursed under the Mudra Yojana, and four crore loans out of this number, being disbursed to first time beneficiaries of such loans.
The Prime Minister said that India is proud of its scientists. He announced “Gagan-Yaan” a manned space mission, to be undertaken by India by 2022, using its own capabilities. He said India would become the fourth nation in the world to do so.
Reiterating the vision to double farmers’ incomes by 2022, the Prime Minister asserted that the aim is to accomplish tasks which seem extremely difficult. He said initiatives such as Ujjwala Yojana and Saubhagya Yojana are providing dignity to the people. He said organizations such as the WHO have appreciated the progress made in the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Shri Narendra Modi announced the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan on 25th September this year – the anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. It is high time we ensure that the poor of India get access to good quality and affordable healthcare, he asserted. He said this scheme would positively impact 50 crore people.
The Prime Minister explained how better targeting of government benefits has been achieved by weeding out about 6 crore fake beneficiaries. The honest taxpayer of India has a major role in the progress of the nation, he said, adding that it is due to them that so many people are fed, and the lives of the poor are transformed.
The Prime Minister asserted that the corrupt, and those who have black money would not be forgiven. He said that Delhi’s streets are now free from power brokers, and the voice of the poor is heard.
The Prime Minister announced that women officers of Short Service Commission in the Indian Armed Forces would now be eligible for permanent commission through a transparent selection process.
Noting that the practice of Triple Talaq has caused great injustice among Muslim women the Prime Minister assured Muslim women that he will will work to ensure that justice is done to them.
The Prime Minister spoke of the decline in Left Wing Extremism in the country. He reiterated former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision of “Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat, Kashmiriyat,” for the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
He emphasized on the vision of Housing for All, Power for All, Clean Cooking for All, Water for All, Sanitation for All, Skill for All, Health for All, Insurance for All, and Connectivity for All.
He said that he is impatient, anxious and keen to see India progress, eliminate malnutrition, and to see Indians get a better quality of life.