President Droupadi Murmu: We've shown potential of democracy

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 14

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday gave a clarion call to citizens to sacrifice all they can for the safety, security and prosperity of India, saying it is only in the country’s glory that its people will find meaning. Addressing the nation on the eve of the 76th Independence Day, President Murmu said the completion of 75 years of freedom was a cause for celebration not only for Indians but also for every advocate of democracy around the world.

“Democracy not only grew roots in this soil, it was enriched too,” the President said in her first address after taking the oath of office recently. India has helped the world discover the true potential of democracy and the keyword for the country today is compassion for the downtrodden, needy and those on the margins, the President said.

She said major economic reforms were being accompanied by innovative welfare initiatives and the world has seen “a new India rising in recent years, more so after the outbreak of Covid-19”.

The President, in her 17-minute address, also complimented the policymakers for ensuring the growth of the country that has become more inclusive with reduced regional disparities.

“Our response to the pandemic has been appreciated everywhere… For this feat, we are grateful to our scientists, doctors, nurses, paramedics and the staff associated with vaccination,” she said.

The President said “our existence will become meaningful only in building a glorious India”, quoting lines from nationalist poet Kuvempu: “I will pass, so will you, but on our bones will arise the great tale of a new India”.

Urging people to follow the fundamental duties in letter and spirit, she said the country had “given us everything we have and we should pledge to give everything we can for the sake of safety, security, progress and prosperity of our country”.

Exuding hope that by 2047 India would have finally realized the dreams of freedom fighters by becoming self-reliant, she said India was one of the fastest growing major economies in the world and credited the government for “beating global trends and helping the economy flourish”.

The President flagged India’s robust start-up ecosystem, its growing unicorns as a “shining example of industrial progress” and said that economic success was leading to ease of living too.

Attributing India’s new-found confidence to the spirit of youth, farmers and women, she lauded the reduction in gender inequalities and the shattering of glass ceilings, adding that “our daughters are the biggest hope for the nation”.

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