{"id":16409,"date":"2016-08-15T10:27:26","date_gmt":"2016-08-15T04:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globalpress.hinduismnow.org?p=16406&preview_id=16406"},"modified":"2016-08-15T10:27:26","modified_gmt":"2016-08-15T04:57:26","slug":"pm-narendra-modi-pitches-for-ek-bharat-shresth-bharat-from-red-fort-on-70th-independence-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/?p=16409","title":{"rendered":"PM Narendra Modi pitches for Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat from Red Fort on 70th Independence Day | The Indian Express"},"content":{"rendered":"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed the nation from the Red Fort on the occasion of the 70th Independence Day. The Prime Minister, before arriving at the Red Fort, paid a floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan were amongst the many\u00a0of VVIPs present at the venue.PM Modi was received by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, Defence Secretary G. Mohan Kumar and Indian Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag at the Red Fort. He unfurled the national flag before giving his third Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort.<\/p>\n

Here are the key issues on which the prime minister focused:<\/em><\/p>\n

QUALITY OF GOVERNANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Modi\u00a0his government had take decisions to help people make online booking to visit hospitals.\u00a0Citing the example of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, he said similar changes had been brought about in 40 major hospitals across the country.\u00a0Similarly, now, in just one minute, it had become possible to generate as many as 15,000 railway tickets, he said.\u00a0\u201cWhen I talk about suraj (good governance) \u2026 the meaning is to bring changes in the life of the common man,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

TAXATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe middle class is more bothered about tax than the police. This situation needs to change\u2026 I will change it,\u201d Modi said in his speech from Red Fort on India\u2019s 70th Independence Day. \u00a0\u201cThere was a time a honest citizen would pay tax, but once the money went into the government\u2019s coffers, refunds would take months,\u201d the prime minister said referring to refunds of tax deducted at source. \u00a0\u201cNow we give refunds online and it is given in weeks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

CONSERVATION OF ENERGY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said saving energy was a focus of his government and pledged to distribute 77 crore electricity efficient LED lights in the country.\u00a0\u201cWe want to distribute 77 crore more LED bulbs. I urge you all to use LED bulbs, save energy and take part in helping our nation,\u201d Modi said in his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort.\u00a0He said the government had brought down the cost of a Rs 350 LED bulb to Rs 50.\u00a0\u201cI do not want to ask where all that money used to go (during the previous governments). I am happy to inform you that we have distributed 13 crore such bulbs.\u201d<\/p>\n

RURAL ROAD CONNECTIVITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Prime Minister said the government has given a new momentum to the construction of roads in rural areas now built at the pace of 100 km per day. Modi said the government\u2019s flagship rural connectivity programme was introduced by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee but it it was implemented later at a slow speed.\u00a0Modi said his government had brought a new momentum to the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana to help accomplish the dream of villagers who want good roads.\u00a0\u201cEarlier village roads were constructed at the rate of 70-75 km per day. Now we construct 100 km in a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

ISSUANCE OF PASSPORT<\/strong><\/p>\n

The government issued 1.45 crore passports in 2015-16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.\u00a0People were being provided passports in just one or two weeks now though around two crore applications are received annually compared to 40-50 lakh application in earlier years, he said in his Independence Day speech. People do not need any recommendation now to secure passports, he said.<\/p>\n

JAN DHAN YOJANA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the impossible was made possible by adding 21 crore people in the Jan Dhan Yojana.\u00a0The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana helps to open bank accounts. \u00a0In his speech on the 70th Independence Day, the Prime Minister said adding people to the Jan Dhan Yojana was an impossible task as many were out of the mainstream. \u00a0Modi said the government was trying to link all government schemes with Aadhaar to avoid leakage.<\/p>\n

PUBLIC SECTOR PROFITABILITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Modi\u00a0<\/strong>made a veiled attack on the previous governments and said state-owned enterprises were set up to fail or to sell them out.\u00a0\u201cNow things have changed,\u201d Modi said in his Independence Day speech from the historic Red Fort.\u00a0He said state-owned Air India, telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Shipping Corporation Of India Ltd now have operating profits.\u00a0\u201cAir India that used to be criticized earlier has an operating profit. While every telecom company in the world flourished, BSNL used to run in losses. Today, BSNL too has an operating profit,\u201d Modi said.<\/p>\n

FARMERS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated India\u2019s farmers for enabling the country maintain its food reserves despite two years of drought, adding he aimed to double the income of farmers by 2020.\u00a0\u201cIt is my dream to double the income of farmers by 2022,\u201d Modi said in his address to the nation from the Red Fort here on the 70th Independence Day.\u00a0He also said the government is encouraging the cultivation of pulses and their sowing has increased 1.5 times this year.<\/p>\n

BETI BACHAO, BETI PADHAO\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Prime Minister\u00a0sought support from all sections of society for the \u2018Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao\u2019 initiative which focuses on the girl child.\u00a0\u201cI still need social support for \u2018Beti Bachao Beti Padhao\u2019,\u201d the Prime Minsiter said in his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort.\u00a0He said one healthy, educated and economically independent woman can pull a family out of poverty.\u00a0He also spoke of the bill for extending maternity leave to 26 weeks that the Rajya Sabha passed last week.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN OCCUPIED KASHMIR<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to speak a bit about the people in Balochistan, Gilgit, Baltistan, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,\u201d the Prime Minister said from the Red Fort. \u00a0\u201cThe world is watching. People of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have thanked me a lot in the past few days,\u201d Modi said. \u201cI am grateful to them.\u201d\u00a0He said the way people from these Pakistani regions \u201cwished me well, gives me great joy\u201d.\u00a0Modi said last week that it was time for Islamabad to explain to the world \u201cwhy it has been committing atrocities on people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Balochistan\u201d.\u00a0On Monday, Modi also hit out at Pakistan for supporting terrorism. This, he said, was in contrast to the way Indians reacted with sorrow when terrorists slaughtered school children in Peshawar.\u00a0\u201cThat is the nature of India. But on the other hand, look at those who glorify terrorists. What kind of people glorify terrorists? What kind of people celebrate when people are killed?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed the nation from the Red Fort on the occasion of the 70th Independence Day. The Prime Minister, before arriving at the Red Fort, paid a floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[1184,18],"tags":[1522,1261],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16409"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16409\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalpress-new.hinduismnow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}