Underscoring that Constitution of India is the nation’s guiding document and its preamble contains the ideals of the freedom struggle, President Droupadi Murmu, addressing the nation on the eve of the 77th Independence Day, asserted that the identity of being an Indian citizen stands above all and urged citizens to move ahead with the spirit of harmony.
“Let us move forward with the spirit of harmony and brotherhood to realise the dreams of our nation-builders,” the President said on Monday.
Also read the full text of President speech
President Murmu’s emphasis on harmony and brotherhood was significant in the backdrop of the Manipur conflict and more recent communal clashes at Nuh in Haryana, even though she didn’t mention any State.
Stressing the importance of August 15, Ms. Murmu said, “What we celebrate on Independence Day is the fact that we are part of a great democracy. Each of us has many identities — apart from caste, creed, language and region, we are also identified with our families and professions — but there is one identity that is above all. That is our identity as citizens 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 added.
Tackling inflation
President Murmu noted that inflation remained a worrying concern globally but said the Union government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) managed to contain it. “The government has succeeded in protecting the common people from high inflation while also providing a more extensive security cover to the poor. The world looks up to India for global economic growth,” she said.
Also read: President’s address on the eve of 77th Independence Day updates
Asserting that India’s standing in the international order had gone up, the President focussed on how India’s presidency of the G-20 group, that covers two-third of the global population, could shape the global discourse. She said India had proved that leadership could result in effective action to solve issues that concerned humanity which were not limited by geographical boundaries.
The President’s speech had a clear focus on empowering women through their economic empowerment, highlighted the role of women freedom fighters as well as noted the participation of women in fields that were “unimaginable”.
Ms. Murmu also called for urgent attention of scientists and policymakers towards climate change and global warming which was resulting in frequent floods or drought situations, saying the “culture of greed” was taking the “world away from nature”.
“I know that there are still many tribal communities which live very close to nature and in harmony with it. Their values and lifestyle offer invaluable lessons for climate action,” she said.
Lauding Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) moon mission Chandrayaan-3, Ms. Murmu said she was looking forward to landing of lander ‘Vikram’ and rover ‘Pragyan on the moon in the next few days. “But the mission to the moon is only a stepping stone for our future space programmes. We have to go far ahead,” she said.
National Education Policy
The President said the National Education Policy of 2020 had started making a difference. “From my interactions with students as well as educationists at various levels, I gather that the learning process has become more flexible. The visionary policy, which aims to merge ancient values with modern skills, will bring in unprecedented changes in the education sector over the years, leading to a great transformation of the nation,” she said.
Ms. Murmu said to foster the spirit of research, innovation and entrepreneurship, the government was setting up the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, with an amount of ₹50,000 crore for the next five years.
