President calls for unity in India’s march towards `Golden Age’

31 Jan 2023

President of India Draupati Murmu has called for unity of purpose as all Indians strive towards making the country fully developed during this golden age or ‘Amrit Kaal’of 25 years that follow the golden centenary of independence.

“This 25-year span is for all of us and for every citizen of the country to perform our duties to the utmost levels. An opportunity to build an era beckons us for which we need to work continuously with our full potential,” the President said hie addressing the joint session of Parliament.

This ‘Azadi ka Amrit Kaal’ assimilates the pride of thousands of years of our glorious past, the inspirations of Indian freedom struggle and India’s resolve for a golden future.

‘By 2047, we have to build a nation, which not only embraces its glorious past, but also encompasses every golden aspect of modernity. We have to build a Bharat, which is self-reliant and also able to fulfill its humanitarian obligations. A Bharat which has no poverty and where the middle class is also prosperous; A Bharat whose youth and women power will be at the forefront to give direction to the society and the nation, and whose youth are well ahead of time; A Bharat whose diversity is even more vivid and whose unity becomes even more unshakeable,” she said.

When the country actualises this reality in 2047, it will certainly observe and assess the foundation of its grand construction. At that time, these initial moments of the Azadi ka Amrit Kaal will be viewed with a different perspective. Therefore, this time and this period of ‘Amrit Kaal’ has become all the more significant.

The government, she said, started its first term with the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. With the passage of time, ‘Sabka Vishwas’ and ‘Sabka P rayas’ were added to it. This mantra has now become the inspiration for building a developed India. In a few months, my government will complete nine years on this Kartavya Path of development.

In almost nine years of my government’s term, she said, the people of India have witnessed many positive changes for the first time. The biggest change is that today every Indian's confidence is at its peak and the world's outlook towards India has changed.

India, which once looked at others for solutions to most of its problems, is today emerging as a provider of solutions for the issues faced by the world. The government, she said, has made available basic facilities to a large segment of the population who had waited for these for decades.

The modern infrastructure that we has started coming up in the country , the digital network that India has built, the urge to get rid of the scourge of mega scams and corruption in government schemes are all inspiring even for developed countries, the Presdent stated.

“Today the debate is no longer about policy paralysis, instead India is being recognised for her rapid development and the far-sightedness of her decisions. That is why, we have now become the fifth largest economy in the world, up from the 10th spot. This is the foundation which elevates the self-confidence for building a developed Bharat in the next 25 years,” she added..

Invoking Lord Basaveshwara, she said: ‘Kayakave Kailasa’ which means Karma is worship and Shiva is in the Karma itself. Following this path, my government is actively engaged in performing the duty of nation building. Today, she sai:

India has a government which is stable, fearless, decisive and working with lofty ambitions.
India has a government which respects the honest.
India has a government working for permanent solution of the problems of the poor and their lasting empowerment.
India has a government working at an unprecedented speed and scale.
India has a government that gives pre-eminence to public welfare by leveraging innovation and technology.
India has a government which is committed to removing every obstacle being faced by women.
There is a government in India which is committed to progress as well as the protection of nature.
India has a government that preserves heritage while also embracing modernity.
India has a government which is moving forward confidently to play its rightful role on the global stage.

The government, she said, has always kept the country's interest paramount and shown the will to completely transform the policies and strategies when required. “From surgical strike to a firm crackdown on terrorism, from a befitting response to every misadventure from LoC to LAC, from abrogation of Article 370 to Triple Talaq, my government has been recognized as a decisive government.

“The stable and decisive government has enabled us to deal with the biggest calamity in 100 years and the situation that arose thereafter. Wherever in the world there is political instability, those countries are beset with severe crises today. But India is in a much better position than the rest of the world due to the decisions taken by my government in the national interest.

Corruption, she said, is the biggest enemy of democracy and social justice and the government has been in a relentless fight against corruption in the last few years. ‘We have ensured that the honest will be honoured in the system. There is increasing social consciousness in the country that there should be no sympathy for the corrupt in the society,” she pointed out.

The enactment of the Benami Property Act and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act whas helped to put in place an effective system to end the practice of favouritism and corruption in government machinery. Today there is a Government-e-Marketplace (GeM) system for tenders and government procurement, in which transactions worth more than Rupees 3 lakh crore have taken place so far, she noted

“From Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile trinity, which is weeding out fake beneficiaries to launching One Nation One Ration Card, we have undertaken major enduring reforms. Over the years, the country has developed a stable and transparent regime in the form of DBT and Digital India. Today the monetary benefits of more than 300 schemes are directly reaching the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. So far, an amount of more than Rs27 lakh crore has reached millions of beneficiaries with complete transparency. The World Bank report acknowledges that it was only due to such schemes and mechanisms that India was able to prevent crores of people from falling below the poverty line during the Covid pandemic,” the President stated.

The government, she said, is looking for long-term solutions rather than shortcuts, The policies are aimed at finding permanent solutions to problems and empowering the common people. “Poverty eradication is no longer just a slogan, and my government is working towards empowering the poor by providing a permanent addressal to their concerns,” she added.