New Delhi
President Draupadi Murmu addressed the nation on Thursday before the 79th Independence Day. On the eve of Independence Day, I heartily congratulate all of you. It is a matter of pride for all of us that freedom day and Republic Day celebrates all Indians with enthusiasm and enthusiasm. These days make us special remind of the pride of being Indian.
The date of August 15 is deeply inscribed in our collective memory. During the long period of colonial rule, many generations of countrymen dreamed that one day the country would be independent. People living in every part of the country – men and women, old and young – were distraught to break the fetters of foreign rule.
There was no disappointment in his struggle but a sense of hope. The same sense of hope has been giving energy to our progress after independence. Tomorrow, when we are saluting our tricolor, we will also pay tribute to all those freedom fighters whose sacrifice, 78 years ago, on August 15, on August, India gained independence.
After recovering our freedom, we proceeded on the path of democracy in which all adults had the right to vote. In other words, we people of India, the right to form our destiny, ourselves offered the right to themselves. In many democratic systems, there were restrictions on people’s franchise on Gender, Religion and other grounds. However, we did not do this.
Despite the challenges, the people of India successfully adopted democracy. Adopting democracy was a natural expression of our ancient democratic values. India-land has been the land of the oldest republics in the world. It is absolutely appropriate to call it the mother of democracy. On the foundation stone of the constitution adopted by us, the building of our democracy has been built. We created such institutions based on democracy, which strengthened the democratic functioning. For us, our constitution and our democracy are paramount. Looking at the past, we should never forget the pain caused by the partition of the country. Today we celebrated Partition Vibhisika Memorial Day. Partitions saw horrific violence due to partition and millions of people were forced to be displaced. Today we pay tribute to the people who have been victims of history mistakes.
Dear countrymen,
Our constitution mentions four values that are four pillars that keep our democracy strong. These values are – justice, freedom, equality and fraternity. These are the principles of our civilization which we rejuvenated during freedom struggle. I believe that at the core of all these values, the concept of dignity of a person exists.
Every person is the same, and everyone has the right to have dignified behavior with them. All should have equal access to health services and education facilities. Everyone should get equal opportunities. Those who were deprived of traditional system needed help.
Keeping these principles paramount, we started a new journey in 1947. After a long period of foreign rule, at the time of independence, India was struggling with great poverty. But, in 78 years since then, we have made extraordinary progress in all areas. India has covered a lot of distance on the path of becoming a self -sufficient nation and is moving forward with strong confidence.
In the economic field, our achievements can be clearly seen. India is the fastest growing country in the world’s major economies with a gross-growth-product-rate of 6.5 percent in the last financial year. Despite the problems prevailing in the global economy, domestic demand is increasing rapidly. Inflation remains controlled. Export is increasing. All major indicators are reflecting the strong status of the economy. This is the result of the hard work and dedication of our workers and farmers and siblings, as well as well-thought out reforms and skilled economic management.
Through good governance, a large number of people have been taken out of poverty. The government is running many welfare schemes for the poor. Those who have come above the poverty-line but are not in a strong position, they also have security of such schemes so that they do not go down from the poverty line again. These welfare efforts are reflected in increasing expenses on social services.
Income inequality is decreasing. Regional inequalities are also decreasing. The states and regions which were previously known for weak economic performance are now displaying their real potential and moving towards equalizing with leading states.
Our leading businessmen, small and medium entrepreneurs and traders have always introduced the feeling of passing something. There was a need to remove the obstacles in the path of creation of prosperity. During the last decade, in the development in the infrastructure, it is clearly visible. We have expanded and strengthened the National Highway Network under the Bharatmala Project.
Railways have also encouraged innovation and new types of trains and coaches with the latest technology are being used. Inaugurating railway contacts in the Kashmir Valley is a major achievement. Rail interaction of the valley with the rest of India will promote trade and tourism in that region and open the doors of new economic possibilities. In Kashmir, this extraordinary achievement of engineering is a historic mile-stone for our country.
Urbanization in the country is happening at a fast pace. Therefore, the government is paying special attention to improving the condition of cities. Paying special attention to the major area of urban transport, the government has expanded metro rail facilities. During the last decade, the number of cities with metro rail-service facilities has increased manifold. Atal Mission, ie ‘Amrit’ for the rejuvenation and urban changes of cities, has ensured that more and more houses have a trusted supply of water from tap and sewarage connection facility is available.
The government believes that on the basic facilities of life, the rights of citizens are formed. Under the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’, there is progress in providing water from tap to rural homes.
Under the world’s biggest health-service scheme, ‘Ayushman Bharat’, various steps have been taken. As a result of those efforts, in the field of health-service, we are seeing revolutionary changes. So far, more than 55 crore people have been provided with security. The government has provided the facility of this scheme to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, no matter how much their income. With the removal of inequalities related to access to health services, the poor and lower-middle classes are also getting the best possible health services.
In this digital age, it is natural that the most progressed in India is in the information technology sector. 4G mobile connectivity is available in almost all villages. This facility will be delivered soon in the remaining few thousand villages. This has made it possible to adopt digital payment technology on a large scale. In the field of digital payment, India has become the leading country in the world, in a short time.
This has also given a boost to Direct Benefit Transfer, and welfare payments to the targeted beneficiaries are being ensured without any interruption and leakage. Of the total digital transactions in the world, more than half of transactions take place in India. With such changes, a moving digital economy has been created, which contributes to the country’s gross domestic product is growing year after year.
