As it happened: Need to fight against social evils, says PM on I-Day
As the nation soaks in festivities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will shortly deliver his I-Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Ahead of the India’s 70th Independence Day, the PM sought inputs from citizens on government websites. The best suggestions will be incorporated into his address.
Good morning, readers. Happy Independence Day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his I-Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Monday. Addressing the nation on the occasion of the 70th Independence Day, Modi said his government’s focus was on creating an identity for India.
In his speech, the Prime Minister said the country will never bow down before terrorism, adding that the people of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have thanked him for speaking on their behalf.
Modi also thanked all political parties for the passage of GST bill, saying the tax reform will strengthen the Indian economy.
Below are the highlights from his speech:
9:08am: PM Modi’s Independence Day speech ends with Jai Hind and Vande Matram!
9:07am: We did not get an opportunity to die for the country but we have the opportunity to live for the country, says PM
9:06am: Let’s live for our nation, do something for India. One society, one direction, one aim; let’s move ahead, says PM Modi
9:03am: People of Balochistan,Gilgit and PoK have thanked me a lot in the past few days, I am grateful to them, says PM
9:01am: PM Modi speaks of Peshawar school attack in his Independence Day speech, says when terrorists gunned down innocent children in Peshawar, India was crying
8:59am: The biggest challenge that our country faces is poverty. Freedom from poverty is the greatest form of independence, says PM
8:57am: Violence has no place in our society. This country will never bow down before terrorism, says PM Modi
8:55am: Unity in diversity is our strength
8:53am: We have made OROP a success, filled every defence personnel’s house with happiness
8:51am: We have made sure women of our country can go to work during the night. We have adequate security in place, says PM Modi
8:50am: The pressing need is that the country’s youngsters should get opportunities and employment
8:47am: We have to fight against social evils to make India strong, says PM Modi
8:46am: Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar ji have always stressed on the need for social unity
8:42am: One nation, one grid and one price- we have worked on this
8:41am: We have extended maternity leave to 26 weeks from 12 weeks
8:39am: GST will give strength to our economy and all parties are to be thanked for its passage, says PM
8:38am: PM says all global agencies have recognised India’s progress
8:36am: Our ranking in ease of business has rapidly improved
8:35am: Today our country is inter-connected and interdependent, says PM Modi
8:31am: We have been successful in bringing back Air India, BSNL, Shipping corporation of India into operational profit
8:30am: Out govt is giving importance to ‘last man delivery’ by taking decisions; our policies are clear, says PM Modi
8:26am: We have bowed our heads, given previous govt’s work respect; there is no place for arrogance in a democracy
8:25am: Reform, Perform, Transform - we have made efforts in every sector: PM
8:23am: My govt’s focus is on creating an identity for India, says PM Modi
8:20am: My dream is to double the income of farmers by 2022, and this dream will materialise,says PM.
8:18am: PM Modi talks about initiatives taken by NDA govt to help farmers with various irrigations projects, says if farmers in our country get adequate water, they can turn ‘soil’ into ‘gold.
8:12am: Due to the drought situation in the past two years, the government has faced challenges in terms of price rise, says PM Modi.
8:11am: We haven’t let the inflation rate go beyond 6%, says PM Modi.
8:09am: We can contribute a lot to curb global warming by using IED bulbs, says PM Modi.
8:04am:
8:03am: We have connected 70 crore Indians to Aadhaar and social security schemes, says PM Modi.
8:00am: In the last 60 years,14 crore people were given gas connections but my government provided gas connections to over four crore people in just 60 weeks, says PM Modi.
7:58am:
7:58am: Today we’re making roads in villages at the rate of 100km per day, as against the earlier 70-75km, says Modi.
7:56am: We need to increase the pace of our work, says Modi.
7:53am: Good governance is important for su-raj (good rule), says PM.
7:52am: Earlier, verification procedure for obtaining a passport would take at least 4-6 months. Today, a passport is issued within weeks, says Modi.
7:50am: We started the facility of online refund, and today it is easy to get refunds within 2-3 weeks, says PM Modi.
7:49am: Today, it is possible to get 15,000 rail tickets in one minute, says PM Modi.
7:48am: There was a time when you had to wait a long time to go to a good hospital. Today we have been able to change all that through online registration, says PM Modi.
7:47am:Responsibility and accountability is the root of good governance, says PM Modi.
7:46am: Today, more than karya, I want to talk about karya sanskriti on the government, says PM Modi.
7:43am: Today our resolve is turn the swarajya (Self-Rule) into su-rajya (good rule), says PM Modi.
7:42am: If India has problems, it also has 125 crore brains that are capable to overcome them, says PM Modi/
7:41am: Our country is a historic civilisation, our culture is timeless, says PM Modi.
7:40am: We remember Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Pandit Nehru, countless people who sacrificed their lives so that we attained Swarajya, says PM Modi.
7:38am: PM Modi harps on ‘Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat’ message.
7:37am: From the Vedas to Vivekananda, we have a long history, says PM Modi.
7:36am: India is an ancient country with a rich cultural heritage, says PM Modi.
7:35am: PM Modi pays homage to freedom fighters and national heroes.
7:34am: PM Modi starts his speech.
7:30am: PM Narendra Modi unfurls the tricolour.
7:20am: PM Modi inspects the guard of honour.
7:18am: PM Modi arrives at the Red Fort. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar greets him.
7:05am: PM Modi reaches Raj Ghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.
6:53am:
6:41am: