President Draupadi Murmu addressed the joint sitting of the Houses on Wednesday on the first day of the Budget Session 2024. It was her first address in the new Parliament since its inauguration on 28 May 2023. In her speech, the President expressed her faith that that the new Parliament House will continue to give strength to India’s aspirational journey and create new and healthy traditions.
She remarked that the past year has been full of historic and proud achievements for India. She highlighted that despite of serious global crises, the country has emerged as the fastest-growing major economy.
President Murmu also welcomed the introduction of legislations by the government in the past year including Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women’s Reservation Act), Digital Personal Data Protection Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and others. She asserted that the government has continuously upheld its commitment to Reform, Perform and Transform.
The President affirmed that the government is focused on human-centric development which is its idea of social justice. During the last 10 years, thousands of tribal villages have been provided with electricity, road connectivity, water supply, 4G internet connectivity, she said. Establishment of Van Dhan Kendras and MSP on more than 90 forest produce have immensely benefitted the tribals, President Murmu also mentioned that one crore forty lakh tribal people have been screened for sickle cell anemia. Further, she underlined that under the PM Vishwakarma Yojana and PM SVANidhi Yojana, lakhs of people from minority sections have been benefitted.
Further, the President maintained that under the Vibrant Village Programme and Aspirational Districts Programme, development has been brought to villages in the country’s borders and in the districts which had lagged behind. My government has also brought development in the remote and faraway islands like Andaman-Nicobar and Lakshadweep, she added.
The President asserted that the government is continuously taking new initiatives for the education and skill development of India’s youth, which is being accelerated under the National Education Policy. She mentioned that emphasis has been laid on education in mother tongue and Indian languages, government is working on more than 14,000 ‘PM Shri Vidyalayas’, dropout rate in the country has reduced, enrolment of girls in higher education has increased as has the enrolment of SC, ST and OBC. In the past decade, the number of MBBS seats has more than doubled with several medical colleges and nursing colleges being established, the President said.
She mentioned that the government’s tangible efforts to strengthen internal security are visible to all. There is a sense of security in Jammu and Kashmir today, she said. The President also held that there has been significant reduction in the incidents of separatism in the North East as many organisations have taken steps towards permanent peace. Naxal affected areas have shrunk and there has been a steep decline in Naxal violence, she stated.
Globally, India is a leading voice in the world against terrorism, President Murmu said, adding that the government has firmly placed India’s interests before the world which is why today it is a respected member of many global organizations. The scope of India’s foreign policy today has gone far beyond the constraints of the past, she said.
“This year, on January 22, the country witnessed a similar epochal moment”, President Murmu remarked, referring to the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. “This was a matter of aspirations and faith for crores of our countrymen and the resolution of this has been accomplished in a harmonious manner,” she stated.
She also hailed Chandrayaan-3 successfully landing on the southern pole of the Moon, launch of the Aditya Mission, success of G-20 Summit, athletes winning over 100 medals for the first time in Asian Games and over 100 medals in Para Asian Games, inauguration of the largest sea-bridge, etc.
