Our special correspondent
NEW DELHI: On the occasion of 64th Independence Day of the country, President and Prime made fervent appeal to the fellow countrymen to imbibe secular value in their lives and termed secularism as strength of the nation.
Addressing the nation on the eve of the 64th Independence Day president Pratibha Devisingh Patil said that India always looked at progress and moral growth as mutually inclusive rather than mutually exclusive concepts. “Ours is a land where religions have taken birth and all religions of the world have found a place. Ours is a land where different languages, cultures and customs flourished” she said.
Prime minister Dr. Manmohan singh said that tolerance and generosity have been a part of our traditions. “We should strengthen these traditions. As we progress economically our society should also become more sensitive. We should be modern and progressive in our outlook”, he emphasised
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Addressing the nation on the 64th Independence Day from the ramparts of historic Red Fort, Dr. Singh said that secularism was one of the pillars of the democracy. “For centuries India has welcomed new religions and all have flourished here. Secularism is also our constitutional obligation”, prime minister underlined.
He said that his government is committed to maintain communal peace and harmony. The government also consider its duty to protect the minorities and provide for their special needs. “We have started many new programmes in the last four years for the welfare of our brothers and sisters belonging to the minority communities. These include scholarships for minority students and special programmes for the development of districts which have a high concentration of minorities”, prime minister said adding these schemes have shown good results. ‘We will vigorously take this work forward’.