Addressing his 1.25 billion countrymen and women from the ramparts of historic Red Fort on the occasion of celebration of 69th Independence Day of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a forceful address to bring home to the people what he had promised in his last year’s Independence Day speech and what his Government has been able to achieve The main interesting and rather scintillating point in his speech was that in as far as the democratic dispensation of his Government is concerned, he was trying to infuse the idea that he was thinking and working above party level, above the narrow party in power and party out of power concept and above the class and group concept. He made it clear that his Government meant the 1.25 billion people of India and each man taking a step forward meant 1.25 steps taken at a time. Every word and every sentence of PM’s speech revealed how deeply he is rooted in the very heart of Indian toiling masses be they in the factories or on the farm houses, in offices or in schools, as daily wagers or a rickshaw puller who work to earn a square meal but in the process build India of our dreams.
Paying glowing tribute to the stalwarts of India’s freedom struggle, the PM said that they had bequeathed the political democracy to the country and it was this democracy that had made India strong, energetic and visionary. Our democracy was a frontal attack on casteism, fundamentalism communalism. Democracy for India meant preserving and perpetuating her age-old traditions of unity, simplicity and diversity. The negative aspects have to be eradicated through meaningful development and banishment of economic backwardness. “Team India”, said the Prime Minister, meant that 1.25 billion people were engaged in developmental projects and the development had to be distributed among the people inhabiting this vast country from north to south and from east to west. It was Government’s effort of involving people through net, through his ‘Man ki Baat” programme and through hundreds of thousands of letters that connected the Government with the people. And what ultimately is the objective of all these developmental schemes and projects? It is to bring benefit to the poor and deprived who have been struggling in their lives to improve the quality of life.
PM’s address could easily be called an address sans politics. He dealt with development, achievements and visions that have been partially fulfilled or are in the process of fulfillment. He said that 40 per cent of people in the country were without a bank account when he made the announcement of Jan Dhan Yojna. Under this scheme 17 crore people of India opened their bank accounts even with zero deposits. The Government facilitated their bank accounting and as a result of this today twenty thousand crore rupees are deposited in various banks by the have-not segment of our society. He lauded the efforts and cooperation of banks in this big endeavour. He said that very large percentage of poor and weaker sections of society were bereft of social security. His Government floated several schemes aimed at providing social security to the weaker sections of society. Schemes like Jeevan Joti Bima, Atal Pension Yojna, and Pradhan Mantri Surakhsha Yojna are the schemes that have entitled the weaker sections to life security and insurance. A person could contribute one rupee a month and 12 rupees a year to entitle him to 2 lakh rupees of insurance amount in case of a situation. Comparing these schemes with some schemes floated in the past, he said that while some of 40 or 50 years old schemes reached barely 4 – 5 crore people, his schemes of 100 days accounted for 10 crore of rupees to reach ten crores of people. One could see the spread out of the new scheme and its impact.
Among other achievements on his card was the enviable scheme of public utilities especially the toilets. He said he had announced in his previous ID speech that by one year toilets would be provided in all schools with separate ones for the boys and the girls. The PM said that he had not grasped the magnitude of the project at the time of making the announcement. But he said that there were 2.62 lakh schools in the country which needed 4.25 lakh toilets. This was not a small project. And this project has been undertaken by the Team India meaning the 1.25 billion people of India. This is what is meant by public participation. Likewise the slogan of Swachh Bharat or Clean India induced the entire society with the concept that environs had to be kept clean. Acknowledging that the youth and especially the children had well responded to his appeal for Swachh Bharat, he had all appreciation for the children who forbid their parents and elders from throwing litter on the streets. The millions of children of India were the Ambassadors of Swachh Bharat, the Prime Minister said.
Defending his Government as a Government minus corruption, he said that the auctioning of the coal mines had saved 1100 crore rupees to the State exchequer by depriving the middlemen of the loot they used to make of it. He, however, did not say anything of the coal scam that had erupted towards the ending days of the Congress Government. Speaking about black money, the Prime Minister said that it was very difficult to get back the black money from foreign banks though efforts were going on, yet owing to new and strict legislation, it had become almost impossible for anybody to take money out of the country. He said he was receiving large number of letters complaining against the strict legislation, and it reflected the frustration of those who were used to play the mischief. SIT was assigned the task of investigating the black money and as a result of his appeal to the people to voluntarily declare their monies in foreign banks was to the amount of 6500 crore rupees. In just 10 months about 1800 cases of corruption were registered by his administration.
The PM said that he was deeply interested and working at agricultural sector and the welfare of the peasants was at his heart. He said the urea meant for agriculture was diverted to chemical factories and his Government had taken steps to stonewall that. He said he had made a commitment to one rank one pension when he assumed the Government and he stood by that. This had been accepted in principle and nitty-gritty of the scheme was being discussed for finalization.
As we said, PM’s speech was apolitical, which is something unusual for a Prime Minister. There was absolutely not the remotest hint of the recent row between Congress and opposition made in the Parliament. He was not only faithfully enumerating the achievements of his Government systematically, but was also giving a vision of his future plans and projects and the India he wants to make. He talked of the welfare of the soldiers who defends our border and he did not talk about the imposition of proxy war on us. He talked of strengthening our country’s economic and industrial base. He talked not only of weaker sections of society but also of weaker regions of the country. In particular he said the development of the Eastern States UP, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and North Eastern States was a priority with his Government. Another notable aspect of his speech was that he did not make tall promises of doing this and that but remained confined to assessment of what was already floated on the ground. In that sense also, the speech of the Prime Minister on the occasion of 69th Independence Day will be marked as unique.
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