In her address to the nation on the eve of the 75th Republic Day, President Droupadi Murmu said that for the 1.4 crore Indian family, the spirit of co-existence is not a burden imposed by geography, but a natural source of collective joy, which finds expression in our Republic Day celebrations.
Conveying her greetings, the President said that Republic Day is the celebration of the commencement of the Constitution and paid tributes to the leaders as well as the officials who contributed to the framing of our splendid and inspiring Constitution. Guided by the sagacity of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the spirit of the Constitution, imbued with these foundational values and principles, has led us invariably on the path of social justice to put an end to all kinds of discrimination, she said.
“This is the time of an epochal transformation,” she proclaimed and urged all citizens to abide by our Fundamental Duties towards making Bharat a developed nation when it completes 100 years of independence.
The President also highlighted the achievements made by the country in the past year and hailed the success of the G20 Summit in new Delhi, the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill or Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3, Aditya L1 and XPoSat.
“India is moving ahead with confidence, which comes from and is also reflected by the robust health of the economy,” President Murmu stated, noting that the country’s GDP growth has remained the highest among major economies in recent years. She lauded the government for expanding the initiative of providing free food grains to over 81 crore people for five years. This may be the biggest welfare initiative of its kind in history, she added.
On the eve of Republic Day 2024, the President also noted that National Education Policy gives adequate thrust to bridge the digital divide and create a uniform educational structure for the benefit of the underprivileged students. Further, she expressed her delight that the in the past year, Sportspersons have raised India’s profile on the international stage and have inspired children to take up diverse sports and games, helping them boost their self-confidence
Regarding ongoing conflicts, the President regretted that instead of reason, fears and prejudices have fueled passions, leading to relentless violence. She mentioned that India has time and again shown that non-violence is not just an ideal that may be difficult to achieve but it is a distinct possibility and hoped that regions embroiled in conflicts will find a peaceful way to resolve conflicts and bring about peace.
On the global environmental crisis, President Murmu expressed happiness that India is at the forefront of promoting renewable sources of energy and taking a leadership position in global climate action. She also stressed that people everywhere can and must contribute by bringing their lifestyle in tune with Mother Nature.
The period of Amrit Kaal is also going to be the period of unprecedented technological changes, the President stated and emphasized that we must do all we can to remove hurdles from path of the youth and let them unleash their full potential. She said that the youth want equality of opportunity and not the same old rhetoric of equality.
