PM Modi hoists tricolour at Red Fort

The Nation celebrates 73rd Independence Day today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the national flag at the ramparts of the historic Red Fort in Delhi and addressed the nation. Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama and a colourful turban, Mr Modi was received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Red Fort. Prime Minister then inspected Guard of Honour. Before coming to Red Fort, he paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

Addressing the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that within 10 weeks of returning to power, his government took key decisions to fulfil the aspirations of people and cited the new law on triple talaq and scrapping of special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir. He said his government has dedicated itself on all fronts in the service of countrymen. Mr Modi said, abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir, law to ban the practice of instant triple talaq were some of the key decisions taken by his government soon after assuming power for the second term. Prime Minister also condoled the death of people in recent floods and assured the affected of all help.

The Prime Minister said, this government  thinks differently and the country comes first. He said, the spirit of One Nation, One Constitution- has become a reality and India is proud of that. Mr Modi said, his government has made continuous efforts in last five years to meet all the needs and aspirations of the common man.  The Prime Minister also stressed on the need for eradication of poverty for the better future of the country and the government has taken several steps in the last five years towards it. 

The Prime Minister also highlighted the issue of population explosion and stressed on the need to have greater discussion and awareness on population explosion. He said, population explosion will create problems for coming generations and those who follow the policy of small family also contribute to the development of the country adding that this is also a form of patriotism.

Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, India understands the important of water conservation and thus, a new ministry for Jal Shakti has been created. 

He announced 'Jal Jivan' mission to make drinking water available to all households and said government will spend 3.5 lakh crore rupees for it.Prime Minister said, the movement towards water conservation has to take place at the grassroots level and it should not be limited to mere a Government programme. He said, people from all walks of life have to be integrated in this movement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, the government has decided to invest 100 lakh crore rupees in infrastructure building.Mr Modi said, India can become a 5 trillion dollar economy in the next five years.

Prime Minister called for improving exports to get more share in world



economy. He said, wealth creation is important for the country as only then wealth distribution will happen. Mr Modi said, those who create wealth need to be respected.

Prime Minister said, today there is a stable government in India  and its  policy regime is predictable. He said, the world is eager to explore trade with India. Mr Modi said, the government has kept the inflation  under check and supplement development. He added that  the fundamentals of Indian economy are strong which will help the country to grow further.

Mr Modi said, the recent  Lok Sabha elections  were neither  fought by any political leader nor political party but they were  contested by the people of the nation to achieve their dreams. He said, the mood of the nation changed in 2019 and disappointment turned into hope. Mr Modi said, every effort made to remove corruption and black money is welcome as these are menaces that have ruined India for 70 long years. He said, we should  always reward honesty. 

The Prime Minister said, can we not remove the excess influence of Governments on people's lives.  He said, the people should have the freedom of pursuing their own aspirations and the  right eco-system should be in place  in this regard. He said, India does not want incremental progress but a  high jump is needed and we have to keep in mind global best practices and build good systems.

Prime Minister announced creation of Chief of Defence Staff to ensure coordination and provide effective leadership to three services. Mr Modi said, people of India are no longer happy with merely the proposal for a new railway station, they want to know when the state-of-the-art Vande Bharat Express will come to their area. Currently only one Vande Bahrat Express is operational between Delhi and Varanasi, while another between Delhi and Katra is in the pipeline. Speaking on the scourge of terrorism, Mr Modi said, terrorism is an attack on humanity and those who export terrorism must be condemned. He said, our neighbours -Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have suffered because of terrorism. He said, those who give protection to terrorism and support it must be exposed. Prime Minister said, all the countries need to come together to fight terrorism. 

He exhorted the people to further the use of digital payments all over the nation and asked the people to say no to cash and yes to digital payments. He urged all the  people not to  use plastic bags.  Prime minister said, reforms will continue and procedures will be further eased to make it easier for companies to do business in the country. Mr Modi urged people to visit at least 15 tourist destination within India by 2022. He said there is a huge scope to improve India's tourism sector.