Remembering the sacrifices made by the Indian freedom fighters on the 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his wishes to the entire country. Speaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the PM hailed the the Tokyo Olympics participants and greeted the athletes who made the country proud by their achievements.
“The athletes who have made us proud at the Tokyo Olympics are here amongst us today. I urge the nation to applaud their achievement today. They have not only won our hearts but also inspired future generations,” he said.
On the ongoing pandemic, PM Modi highlighted the strength and patience of Indians in fighting the battle against the virus. “We had many challenges but we worked with extraordinary pace in every area. It’s a result of the strength of our industrialists and scientists that today India doesn’t need to depend on any other nation for vaccines,” he said.
Highlights of the PM Modi’s Independence Day speech at Red Fort:
#75th Independence Day should not be merely a ceremony; we have to march with new pledges for next 25 years.
#We have to ensure we meet our goal of building Aatmanirbhar Bharat when we celebrate 100 years of India’s Independence.
#PM Modi gives call for ‘Sabka Prayas’ along with ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ for building a new India.
#To honour the pain and suffering faced by people during the partition, the prime minister said that August 14 will now be observed as “Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.”
#Today, governmental schemes have picked up pace and are reaching their goals. From Ujjwala to Ayushman Bharat, the poor of the nation knows the strength and impact of these schemes.
#Over 4.5 crore new households have received piped water supply within two years of ‘Jal Jeevan Mission.’
#It is essential to fully utilise the capabilities of India to take it to new heights in the 21st century. For this, we have to hold hands of the section that is lagging behind.
#We have to bridge the gap between lives in villages and cities and reach out to the deprived communities. For this, reservation is being ensured for Dalits, STs, backwards, general category poor.
#The Northeast region, the Himalayan region, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, the coastal belt and tribal regions will make a foundation for India’s development in the future. Development should be inclusive, he added.
#For this, capitals of northeast states to be soon connected with railways and the entire region will get connected with Bangladesh, Myanmar, southeast Asia for better opportunities.
#In terms of Jammu and Kashmir, development is visible on ground, delimitation exercise is on and preparations for assembly polls are underway in the UT.
#We are witnessing rapid transformation of our villages. In the past few years, facilities like roads and electricity have reached villages.
#Today, the optical fiber network is providing the power of data to villages, and the internet is reaching there. Digital entrepreneurs are getting ready in villages too.
#Small farmers, who own less than 2 hectares of land, must become the country’s pride. In the coming years, we will increase the collective power of small farmers and give them new facilities.
#We have to work together for the next-generation infrastructure, world-class manufacturing, cutting innovations and new-age technology.
As India marked another milestone on Sunday celebrating the 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, announced that the Centre will soon launch the Rs 100 lakh-crore Gati Shakti national infrastructure plan to boost the country’s economy.
“In the coming days, we will launch the PM Gati Shakti Plan — a 100 lakh-crore national infrastructure master project that will make a foundation for holistic infrastructure and give an integrated pathway to our economy. To further increase our developmental progress, we have to focus on our manufacturing and export.”
During the speech, the Prime Minister also lauded India’s Olympic contingent, frontline and healthcare workers and Covid warriors, and paid tribute to former leaders of the country, including Jawaharlal Nehru.
After unfurling the Tricolour at the Red Fort, PM Modi, while drawing reference to the decades-long freedom struggle, said, “I would like to begin by conveying greetings on this special occasion of Independence Day. This is a day to remember our great freedom fighters. Be it Vallabhbhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, or Jawaharlal Nehru, we are thankful to our leaders who brought Independence.”
Lauding the 2020 Olympic contingent, the PM said, “The athletes who have made us proud at Tokyo Olympics are here amongst us today. I urge the nation to applaud their achievement today. They have not only won our hearts but also inspired future generations.” Around 240 Olympians, support staff, and Sports Authority of India and sports federation officials are part of this year’s celebrations at the Red Fort.
Expressing his gratitude towards all frontline and healthcare workers who helped the country fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Modi said, “During the pandemic, our doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, sanitation workers and scientists who were developing vaccines were working with a sense of service towards the nation. All those who devoted every moment to serve others in this period deserve our appreciation.”
Praising the vaccination programme of the country, he added, “Indians have fought this battle with a lot of patience. We have had many challenges but we worked with extraordinary pace in every area. It’s a result of the strength of our industrialists and scientists, that today, India doesn’t need to depend on any other nation for vaccines. We can proudly say that the largest Covid-19 vaccination programme is being run in India today. More than 54 crore people have received their shots so far.”
Modi also set the 100th Independence Day as the target to fulfill the Atmanirbhar Bharat plan. “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayaas is very important for the achievement of all our goals. Now, we have to move towards making 100 per cent efforts. We have to make sure that 100 per cent of villages have roads, 100 per cent of households have a bank account, 100 per cent of beneficiaries have Ayushman Bharat cards and 100 per cent of eligible people have a gas connection under the Ujjwala scheme.”
“A time comes in the development journey of every country when that nation defines itself from a new end when it takes itself forward with new resolutions. Today, that time has come in India’s development journey,” he added.