NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday addressed the nation and extended her greetings ahead of the 79th Independence day.On the eve of Independence Day, Murmu praised India’s growth and said that the country is “well on way to becoming self-reliant nation and is moving ahead with great confidence.”
Here’s are some of the key quotes from President Murmu’s national address:
- “I extend my heartiest greetings to all of you on the eve of Independence Day. It is a matter of pride for all of us that Independence Day and Republic Day are celebrated by every Indian with great enthusiasm. These are days that especially remind us of our being proud Indians.”
- “After regaining our freedom, we marched on the path of such democracy where every adult received the right to exercise franchise. In other words, we, the people of India, gave ourselves the right to shape our own destiny…Despite the challenges, the people of India successfully adopted democracy…For us, our Constitution and our democracy is above everything else.”
- “As we look back on the past, we must never forget the pain inflicted by the partition of the country. Today, we observed Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. Terrible violence was witnessed due to partition, and lakhs of people were forced to relocate. Today, we pay tributes to those who were victims of the mistakes of history.”
- “Our Constitution contains four values as the four pillars upholding our democracy. They are – justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. These are our civilisational principles that we re-discovered during the Freedom Struggle. At the heart of them all, I believe, is the notion of human dignity. Every human being is equal, and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. Everyone should have equal access to healthcare and education. Everyone should have equal opportunity. Those who had been traditionally at a disadvantage needed to be given a helping hand. Keeping these principles foremost in mind, we started a new journey in 1947.”
- “The country is rapidly urbanising. Hence, the Government has been paying special attention to improve the conditions of the cities. Addressing the key area of urban transport, the Government has expanded metro rail facilities. The number of cities with a metro rail service has gone up multifold in a decade. The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, or AMRUT, has ensured more and more households have access to a tap with the assured supply of water and a sewerage connection.
- “Last week, on August 7, the country celebrated ‘National Handloom Day’ which honours our weavers and their products. Since the year 2015, we have been celebrating this day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement launched during our freedom struggle in the year 1905. The spirit of Swadeshi was strengthened by Mahatma Gandhi to promote the products made by the sweat and toil of Indian artisans and crafts-persons, and by their incomparable skills. The idea of ‘Swadeshi’ has been inspiring our national endeavours like Make-in-India initiative and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’. Let us resolve to buy and use Indian products.”
- “ In this Digital Age, it is apt that one sector in India that has seen the most dramatic advances is information technology. Nearly all villages have 4G mobile connectivity, and the remaining few thousands will be covered soon. This has made possible large-scale adoption of digital payment technologies, in which India has become a world leader in a short span.
- “Artificial intelligence is the next stage of technological advancement and has already entered our lives. The government has launched the India-AI mission to strengthen the country’s AI capabilities.”
- “The idea of Swadeshi has been inspiring our national endeavours like Make-in-India initiative and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Let us resolve to buy and use Indian products.”
- “Fueled by young minds, our space program has witnessed unprecedented expansion. I am sure that Shubhanshu Shukla’s space journey to the International Space Station has fired a whole generation to dream bigger. It will prove extremely helpful for India’s upcoming human space flight program, ‘Gaganyaan’. Brimming with new confidence, our youth are making a mark in sports and games. Chess, for example, is now dominated by India’s youngsters like never before. We foresee transformative changes which will establish India as a global sporting power-house under the vision contained in the National Sports Policy 2025.”
- “This year we had to face the scourge of terrorism. Killing innocent citizens on holiday in Kashmir was cowardly and utterly inhuman. India responded in a decisive manner and with steely resolve. Operation Sindoor showed that our armed forces are prepared to meet any eventuality when it comes to safeguarding the nation. With strategic clarity and technical capability, they destroyed terrorist centres across the border. I believe Operation Sindoor will go down in history as an example in humanity’s fight against terrorism. In our response, what was most noticeable was our unity, which is also the most befitting response to those who wanted to divide us. Our unity was also on display in the multi-party delegations of the MPs that reached out to various nations to explain India’s position. The world has taken note of India’s stance that we will not be the aggressor, but we will not hesitate to retaliate in defence of our citizens. Operation Sindoor was also a test case of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission in the defence sector. The outcome has proved that we are on the right path. Our indigenous manufacturing has achieved a critical level that makes us self-sufficient in meeting many of our security requirements. These are landmark achievements in India’s defence history since Independence.”
