By Andalib Akhter
Addressing the nation on the eve of Independence Day President Droupadi Murmu today said despite having diverse identities all Indians are equal citizens with equal opportunities, rights and duties and urged the people to move forward with the spirit of harmony and brotherhood.
In her address to the nation on the eve of 77th Independence Day, the President said each Indian has many identities but apart from caste, creed, language, region, family and profession, “there is one identity” that is above all as the “citizen of India”.
“Each one of us is an equal citizen; each one of us has an equal opportunity, equal rights and equal duties in this land,” she said.
“But it was not always so. India is the mother of democracy and since ancient times we had democratic institutions functioning at the grassroots. But long years of colonial rule wiped them out. On 15th August 1947, the nation woke up to a new dawn. We not only won freedom from foreign rule but also the freedom to rewrite our destiny,” she said.
Underlining that the Constitution is the country’s guiding document, Murmu said its Preamble contains the ideals of the freedom struggle.
“Let us move forward with the spirit of harmony and brotherhood to realise the dreams of our nation-builders,” she said.
President asserted that nation has been taking great strides in all fronts by registering higher GDP growth, containing inflation and lifting large number of people out of poverty in the last decade. She stated this while addressing the nation on the eve of Independence Day today.
She said, India’s economy has proven to be not only resilient during turbulent times of Covid-19 pandemic, but is also a beacon of hope for others, and the world looks up to India for global economic growth. President Murmu said, inflation at the global level remains a cause for worry, but in India, the Government and the Reserve Bank have managed to contain it.
She added that the government has succeeded in protecting the common people from high inflation while also providing a more extensive security cover to the poor. She underlined that specific programmes are being run to improve the conditions of tribals and encourage them to join the journey of progress.
Highlighting that India is playing a crucial role in promoting developmental and humanitarian goals around the world, the President said, the country has not only regained its rightful place on the world stage, but it has also enhanced its standing in the international order.
She said, G20 Presidency of India is a unique opportunity to shape global discourse in the right direction. She expressed confidence that with India’s proven leadership in dealing with global issues, G20 member-nations will be able to advance effective action on economic and human development fronts.
Describing the National Education Policy as visionary, President Murmu said, it is aimed at merging ancient values with modern skills that will bring in unprecedented changes in the education sector over the years, leading to a great transformation of the nation. She said, the nation’s economic progress is powered by the dreams of its people, particularly the young generation and from start-ups to sports, India’s youth have explored new horizons of excellence.
Lauding the Chandrayaan-3 mission of Indian Space Research Organization, the President said, the mission to the moon is only a stepping stone for country’s future space programmes as the nation has to go far ahead. She appreciated the role of scientists and technologists in bringing laurels to the country. She said, the Government is setting up the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, with an amount of 50 thousand crore rupees for next five years to foster the spirit of research, innovation and entrepreneurship in the country.