Guwahati, August 15: On the occasion of 78th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurled the Tricolor at historic Red Fort for the 11th consecutive time on Thursday.
Keeping in line with this year's I-Day theme of “Viksit Bharat @ 2047”, the Prime Minister, in his 97-minute-long speech, hailed the nation's progress and urged the 140 crore Indians to help build a ideal and developed India.
Here are some highlights from Prime Minister's I-Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort -
“Northeast witnessing remarkable progress”
The Prime Minister, in his speech, pointed out the increased connectivity between the Northeast and Delhi. “There was a time when the Northeast used to feel that Delhi is very distant. Within four years, we have brought Delhi to the doorsteps of Northeast,” he said.
The Prime Minister further highlighted the remarkable progress witnessed in the Northeast across various sectors, including sports, business, roadways, and agriculture.
“Today, we see a magnificent impression of Northeast in the field of sports. The last village in the Northeast has been electrified. We are getting progressive news about highways, railways, airways, waterways and information ways (I-ways) from Northeast,” he remarked.
Highlighting the region’s entrepreneurial and agricultural advancements, the Prime Minister noted that the Northeast has become a hub for business, agriculture, and sports.
“Our youths from the Northeast are establishing BPO in their areas. The Northeast region has turned to be a hub of organic farming. Sports University is being set up in Northeast,” he said.
“Publicise punishments awarded for crimes against woman”
Amidst the recent nation-wide uproar over the heinous crime at a hospital in Kolkata, the Prime Minister highlighted the need to “publicise” the punishment given to crimes against women. He said that the cases of crime against women cases should be dealt swiftly and stringent punishment should be awarded to the offenders committing the “demonic acts”.
“Recently, rapists in a case from Katni in Madhya Pradesh were sentenced to death after just five days of trial. Similarly, in Rajasthan, rapists were sentenced to death after a few days of trial. More such news gets published, the more such people with demonic mentality will get scared. We have to publicise such news,” he said.
He further added that it is the need of the hour to widely publicise the punishments given to rape accused to instil fear among the culprits.
“People should know that rapists are being sent to the gallows. There is a need to beat this mentality; there is a need to curb this thinking, and there is a need to stop this aberration. Brothers and sisters, this mentality breeds unpardonable crimes. Rule of law is supreme for us and there cannot be any compromise on that,” he said.
“75,000 new medical seats will be created in next 5 years”
Prime Minister Modi emphasised the need for development in medical colleges to ensure that children from middle-class families do not have to pursue medical education abroad.
He announced that 75,000 additional medical seats will be created in the next five years to accommodate students, including those from middle-class families, so they can receive their education within the country.
“In the last 10 years, we have increased the number of medical seats to nearly 1 lakh. Yet, around 25,000 youths go abroad for medical education each year, often to countries that surprise me when I hear about them. Therefore, we have decided to create 75,000 new medical seats over the next five years,” the Prime Minister stated.
“Preparations for India's dream of hosting 2036 Olympics underway.”
The Prime Minister further expressed the country’s aspiration to host the 2036 Olympics, adding that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has taken its first step toward this goal by initiating discussions with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Future Host Commission (FHC).
“Today, we also have with us the youth who made the Indian flag fly high in the Olympics. On behalf of 140 crore countrymen, I congratulate all our athletes and players. In the next few days, a large contingent from India will leave for Paris to participate in the Paralympics. I extend my best wishes to all our Paralympians. It is India’s dream to host the 2036 Olympics, and we are making preparations for that,” he said.
“India's Space Sector is becoming vibrant”
Prime Minister Modi hailed the country’s space sector highlighting the significant role played by them in strengthening the nation.
“It is a matter of great pride that our scientists launched more than 100 satellites in one go leaving the world astonished. That’s the capability of Indian scientists which has made the world stand up and applaud. Successful launch of Mangalyaan in the very first attempt itself stands as testimony to the expertise and endeavors of our scientists. This feat of successful in orbit launch of Mangalyaan speaks volumes about the capabilities of our scientists,” he said.
The Prime Minister also expressed pride that, as part of India’s Manned-Space mission, the country would soon be sending an Indian into space. “This will be done through the pursuit of our esteemed scientists, and we will proudly find ourselves as the fourth such nation to have launched a successful Man Space Mission,” he said.
