Sets tone for 2019 polls; economy running now; UPA had slowed growth; Indian craft to put vyomyatris in space
Setting the tone for the 2019 general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday projected himself as an impatient agent of change and castigated the main Opposition Congress-led United Progressive Alliance for its “governance failure”.
In his fifth address to the nation from the ramparts of the imposing Red Fort, the Prime Minister promised “housing, power, water, sanitation and healthcare” for all in his mission to take the country to new heights.
“India was earlier a sleeping elephant which has woken up now and started running,” said Modi, who was wearing a saffron and red Rajasthani-style turban. On Kashmir, the PM said, “We will move forward by embracing the people and not by bullet and abuse (goli and gaali).”
Making a strong pitch to reach out to every section of society, Modi took the centre stage and reached out to Dalits, youth, farmers, tribals, women, fishermen, security forces, middle class and upper middle class by referring to the work done by his Government and his endeavour to improve their lives, especially the poor.
In his last Independence Day speech of his current five-year term, before lok Sabha elections, the PM in his nearly 90-minute speech presented a picture of “Rising India” under his Government, contrasting it with what he termed as “policy paralysis” under the UPA. The PM also announced a plan to send an Indian citizen carrying national flag on a space journey by 2022. Also, listed down the progress in the economy.
Prior to 2014, India was likened to policy paralysis and delayed reforms. “India was considered among ‘fragile five’ but today the world is seeing it as a destination of multi-billion dollar investment. The narrative has changed,” he said.
As the nation celebrated its 72nd Independence Day on Wednesday, the PM announced two ambitious plans in the field of healthcare and technology in his address to the nation.
“Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Abhiyan (PMJAA)”, dubbed “Modicare”, for health insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh each to 10 crore families will be launched on September 25 on the 102nd birth anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the BJP’s predecessor.
The national rollout of the health cover scheme will be on September 25 this year since it marks Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay 102nd birth anniversary, however, the dates of State-wise rollout are yet to be decided, the PM added in his address.
“We are planning to give this health cover to 10 crore families which means that the mission will cover around 50 crore people in the country which is almost equivalent to the total population of Europe. Each family will be given an annual health assurance of Rs 5 lakh,” he said.
Modi said the aim of this mission is to insure poorest of the poor against severe diseases besides providing free treatment in big hospitals even to the affluent families. This will be a technology-driven scheme so as to ensure that there is no interference and common people can enjoy the benefits of this scheme, said the PM.
“To ensure transparency and ensuring that no common person faces any problem in availing the benefits of the scheme, technology intervention is pivotal.
The tests of this technology starting today will be conducted in various parts of this country for next five to seven weeks,” he said further.
lauding the nation’s constant efforts in the field of space technology, he said aboard ‘Gaganyaan’, an Indian citizen carrying the national flag will go on space journey by 2022.
Modi said, “There is ‘good news’ for the nation.
“Our scientists have taken an oath that in 2022, as India celebrates its 75th Independence Day or even before that, a child of mother India, be it a man or woman, carrying national flag, will go on a space journey.” India will become the fourth nation in the world to do so, he said. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had proposed India’s human space flight programme – Vyom – nearly a decade ago. Modi said India has become 2nd largest nation in terms of fish production and will soon become the largest nation producing fish.
Enumerating the achievements of his Government in the last four years, he said the Government has done fairly well in the sectors of education, technology and loan dissemination.
“In the past years, Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) loans have been given to around 13 crore people out of which 4 crore are first time loan takers,” he said.
Giving ‘good news’ to the women of the nation, he announced the much demanded permanent commission for women in armed forces. So far women were given short service commission in Army, Navy and Air Force.
He said new AIIMS, IITs and IIMs are being set up across the country. The new educational institutions are being set up in North-East as well, he said.
“North-East has developed in every sphere. The villages have been electrified and new educational institutions are being set up. As far as employment is concerned, BPOs are setting up. In short, North-East has come closer to New Delhi,” the PM said in his I-Day speech. He also lauded missions like Mangalyaan, and the launch of 104 satellites in one go.
PM Modi consoled the families who have lost dear ones in the floods across the country. “India is facing floods here and there. My heartfelt sympathy is with people who have lost life or property in these floods,” he said. I am their partner in this agony, he said.
Modi devoted much of the time in presenting the report card of his Government and also touched on a host of burning issues including the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, crime against women, legislation on instant triple talaq and state of the farm sector.
launching a scathing attack by the Opposition of running a pro-business and pro-rich dispensation, Modi delved at length about his Government’s initiatives to improve the lives of the poor and the backward sections of the society and claimed that five crore people have been lifted out of poverty in the last two years.
Reeling out the achievements of his Government, Modi said negative reports about India, delayed reforms, fragile economy and red tape were the terms often used for the country under the UPA while it is being looked at as multi-trillion dollar economy offering red carpet welcome to investors.
Hitting out at the Congress regimes, Modi said if the country moved forward at the same pace as in 2013, the last year of the UPA Government, it would have taken decades to accomplish what has been achieved in the last four years.
Quoting Tamil nationalist icon Subramania Bharti, Modi said in Tamil, “India will show the path to the world in ridding it of problems.”
Modi, incidentally also ended his speech with a poetic flourish, with the closing lines in Hindi being “...Have to scale heights beyond the skies, create a new India”.