Andalib Akhter
Budget Session of Parliament began today with President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of both the Houses. In her address President asserted that India has a stable, fearless and decisive government which is working towards realising the big dreams. She said, surgical strike, firm crackdown on terrorism, befitting response to every misadventure from LoC and LAC, abrogation of Article 370 and Triple Talaq is the example of decisive government.
Addressing the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament at Central Hall, the President said, today the country has a government that respects the honest and works to solve the problems of the poor and empower them permanently.
She stressed on the need to build a nation by 2047 which not only embraces its glorious past but also encompasses every golden aspect of modernity. She emphasized to build an India which is self-reliant and also able to fulfil its humanitarian obligations. The President urged the citizens to perform their duties during the Amrit Kaal to make the country a developed one.
On India’s growing stature in the world, the President Murmu said, the people have witnessed many positive changes for the first time during the tenure of this government. She said, the biggest change is that today every Indian’s confidence is at its peak and the world’s outlook towards India has changed.
She said, India which once looked to others for solutions to most of its problems, is today emerging as a provider of solutions for the issues faced by the world. Talking about India’s G20 presidency, the President said, with the mantra of One Earth, One Family, One Future, the country is attempting to find collective solutions to the current global challenges in collaboration with the G-20 member countries.
She added that India has expanded its role keeping its national interests paramount. Whether it was the earthquake in Afghanistan or the crisis in Sri Lanka, the country was the first to provide humanitarian aid. In her address, the President highlighted that the world is also acknowledging India’s tough stand on terrorism.
Due to this, India’s voice against terrorism is being heard seriously on every global platform. She added that the government firmly believes that lasting peace is possible only when the country is strong politically and strategically. Therefore, it is constantly laying emphasis on the modernization of military strength.
Asserting that corruption is the biggest enemy of democracy and social justice, the President said, there has been a relentless fight against corruption in the last few years. She said, the government has ensured that the honest will be honoured in the system.
Highlighting measures taken by the government in this direction, she said, the Benami Property Act was notified, the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act was passed and an effective system has also been put in place to end the practice of favouritism and corruption in government machinery.
She said that the hassle-free, transparent and accountable taxation system has eased the lives of people in the country. The President also said, major reforms have been introduced including Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile trinity, One Nation One Ration Card, DBT and Digital India.
She underlined that today the monetary benefits of more than 300 schemes are directly reaching the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. She said, poverty eradication is no longer just a slogan and now the government is working towards empowering the poor by providing permanent solutions to their concerns.
She listed out major initiatives like Ayushman Bharat Yojana saying that more than 50 crore countrymen have been provided the facility of free treatment which has saved crores of poor from becoming poorer. She said, medicines are being made available at very low cost in about nine thousand Jan Aushadhi Kendras which has resulted in saving of 20 thousand crore rupees of the poor. She said, about 11 crore families have been covered with piped water supply under the Jal Jeevan Mission in the last three years.
The President said, the government has provided pucca houses to more than three and half crore poor families in the last few years.
She added that the government has tried to relieve the poor from their worries by providing basic facilities including toilets, electricity, water and cooking gas. As a result, people of the country have got confidence that government schemes and benefits actually reach the needy and 100 percent coverage or saturation is possible even in a vast country like India.
She said, during Covid pandemic, India was one of those countries which accorded top priority to save the lives of the poor and ensured that the poor were not deprived of food. She said, the government has decided to implement the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana in line with the changing circumstances. This is the hallmark of a sensitive and pro-poor government.
President Murmu said, the government has worked for all classes of citizens without any discrimination in the last nine years. She said, the government has awakened the aspirations of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
These classes were most deprived of the benefits of development. She said, now the basic facilities are reaching this section and these people are becoming capable of having newer dreams.
She added that programmes including Dr. Ambedkar Utsav Dham, Amrit Jaldhara and Yuva Udyami Yojana are being run for the socio-economic empowerment of Scheduled Castes. She added that the government has taken unprecedented decisions for the pride of the tribal communities.
For the first time, the country started celebrating the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. She said, the work has been started to develop 500 blocks as aspirational blocks in the country and these aspirational blocks are being developed in an institutionalized manner for social justice.
On women empowerment, the President said, all the welfare schemes launched by the government have a women-centric approach and provide them new opportunities for employment. She lauded the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana.
Highlighting that tribal, hilly, coastal and border areas of the country could only receive limited benefits of development in the past few decades, the President said, difficult terrain, along with unrest and terrorism, posed a major challenge to development of the North East and Jammu and Kashmir.
She added that the government has taken a number of successful steps for lasting peace and has confronted the geographical challenges. As a result, the North East and the country’s border areas are experiencing a new pace of development.
President Murmu said, the country is moving ahead with the inspiration of Panch Prān in the Amrit Kaal. She said, the government is constantly trying to get rid of every sign of slave mentality.
She said, the country has started reaping the fruits of success of the Make in India and the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. She said, the country’s manufacturing capacity is increasing and manufacturing companies. She said, the country’s defence exports have grown six times. She highlighted that the government is emphasizing on innovation and entrepreneurship and this is harnessing the strength of the young population of the country.
Talking about the measures taken by the government to build a robust infrastructure in the country, the President said, the government has initiated the PM Gati-Shakti National Master Plan which will expand multi-modal connectivity in the country. She said, the government is striving to make India the most competitive logistics hub of the world.
She also said, an average of 2.5 lakh people got connected to broadband every day in the country and more than 55 thousand gas connections were given every day during the tenure of this government. She added that almost one medical college has come up every month and two colleges have been established every day and a university established every week in the last eight-nine years.
She also talked about Covid vaccination saying that India has administered more than 220 crore vaccine doses within just two years.
The President informed that more than 260 medical colleges have been opened during the tenure of the government from 2014 to 2022. She said, more than 300 new universities have been set up and more than five thousand colleges have also been opened in the country in the last eight years. She said, the country’s aviation sector is growing rapidly and the number of airports has reached to 147 in the country.
She said, India has become the third largest aviation market in the world. She said, the government is focusing on green growth and is emphasizing on connecting the entire world with Mission LiFE. President Murmu said, the government has increased the solar power capacity by almost 20 times in the last eight years. She added that the government has also approved the Green Hydrogen Mission which is going to attract investment worth lakhs of crores of rupees in India in the field of green energy.