New Delhi: Delivering his seventh straight Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the call for "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) has captured people's imagination and become a "mantra" for everyone, as he pushed for raising India's share in global economy.
For how long India will keep exporting raw materials and import finished products, Modi said in his address to the nation on the occasion of India's 74th Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, and asked citizens to prepare themselves for a self-reliant India.
He also listed out a number of reform measures undertaken by his government which has resulted in a record Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country last year.
The prime minister began his address by paying tributes to freedom fighters and security forces while also remembering Aurobindo Ghose, a freedom fighter and spiritual philosopher whose birth anniversary falls today.
Highlights from Modi's speech
• We will achieve victory over coronavirus with resolve of people of country
• We are going through a unique situation because of coronavirus pandemic and we must hail 'corona warriors'
• This is a day to remember the sacrifices of our freedom fighters. This is also a day to show gratitude to security personnel including that of Army, paramilitary and police ensuring our safety.
• All attempts were made to root out our cultures and traditions in past
• In midst of coronavirus pandemic, Indians resolve to become 'self-reliant'; this is not a word but mantra for all people. A few months back we used to import N-95 masks, PPE kits and ventilators. Today India is not only meeting its own requirements but it has also stepped forward to help other countries.
• It is necessary for us to prepare ourselves to make India self-reliant
• India became a challenge to forces of expansionism with its freedom struggle
• The mindset of free India should be 'vocal for local'. We should appreciate our local products, if we don't do this then our products will not get the opportunity to do better and will not get encouraged. We have to go beyond reducing our imports.
• While we focus on economic growth and development, humanity must retain a central role in this process.
• I am confident that measures like opening up space sector will generate many new employment opportunities for our youth.
• We have to move forward with mantra of 'Make in India' as well as 'Make for World'.
• Self-sufficient India means not only reducing imports, but also increasing our skills, our creativity.
• About 7,000 projects of different sectors have been identified to bring new revolution in infrastructure. We have to remove silos and entire country has to move towards multi-modal connectivity infrastructure.
• About Rs 90,000 crore directly transferred to bank accounts of poor; over 80 crore people provided free food grains. Seven crore poor families were given free gas cylinders.
• Self-reliant India has an important priority -- self-sufficient agriculture sector and self-reliant farmers. An agriculture infrastructure fund of Rs one lakh crore has been created to give modern infrastructure to farmers.
• Over one lakh households are being provided drinking water under Jal Jeevan mission.
• New education policy aims to connect our children with their roots while making them global citizens.
• We have decided to connect all 600,000 villages with optical fibres within 1,000 days.
• PM Modi announces launch of national digital health mission from today; all Indians to get health IDs. National Digital Health Mission will bring a new revolution in India's health sector.
• Three coronavirus vaccines are in various stages of trial in India; large-scale production will begin once we get nod from scientists. Our roadmap to bring coronavirus vaccine to all Indians in shortest possible time is ready.
Hailing 'corona warriors', including doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and sanitation workers who have been continuously fighting the coronavirus pandemic, he said, the country will achieve victory over coronavirus with the resolve of its over 130 crore citizens.
In the midst of coronavirus pandemic, Indians resolve to become self-reliant, the prime minister said, adding this is not a word but mantra for all people.
Speaking of self-reliant India, he said many concerns are raised about it and acknowledged challenges ahead but asserted that there are "crores of solutions" offered by the country's citizens to "lakhs of challenges".
Vocal for local should be the mantra of the free India, he said.
He said his government has freed farmers of their contraints, and they can now trade their products freely at their terms.
India's freedom struggle, he said, became a challenge to forces of expansionism while attempts were made for hundreds of years by various rulers to root out India's culture and traditions.
Social distancing norms in place
A kit containing a mask, a small bottle of hand sanitiser and a pair of gloves kept on all chairs which were neatly separated to maintain the prescribed distance -- Independence Day celebrations this year typified the 'new normal' in times of COVID-19.
Known otherwise to witness bustling crowd across many age groups, the annual grand event at the historic Red Fort was scaled down this year in keeping with prescribed safety protocols to contain spread of the novel coronavirus that has wrecked havoc across the world.
At the main entrance, the limited number of guests invited for the event underwent thermal scanning by security personnel donning personal protective equipment (PPE) kit, while hands-free sanitiser dispenser have been kept near security gates.
Inside, chairs were placed in a careful matrix across all enclosures. Each seat had a sanitiser kit, a hand towel kept on the back rest along with the programme pamphlet. Social distancing norms were also in place on the rampart where the VVIPs were seated.
Every year, a sea of school children add youthful energy to the grand event, but amid the coronavirus scare, they were not present on the occasion this year.
"Today, our children are not here with us. The coronavirus pandemic has halted all of us," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
Colourful carpets in enclosure and aisles contrast seating and walking areas, and posters bearing social distancing norms messages like 'keep six ft distance', 'wear a mask', dot the venue.
Guests, security staff, VIPs, all were sporting masks as prescribed under the safety norms. Some guests were even seen sporting designer masks to add to the uniqueness of the event that embraces the 'new normal' brought in by the coronavirus pandemic.
Delhi has been one of the worst-affected cities in the country as far as the spread of the virus is concerned. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the national capital has crossed 1.5 lakh, while 4,178 people have died due to the viral infection.
