‘Today India is Known For Reform, Perform And Transform’: Highlights of PM Modi’s Independence Day Speech

In the 80-minute long speech, the prime minister announced a slew of welfare schemes besides highlighting his government’s achievements in the past four years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 72nd Independence Day. This was PM Modi’s fifth and last I-Day speech ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In the 80-minute long speech, the prime minister announced a slew of welfare schemes besides highlighting his government’s achievements in the past four years.

Here are the key highlights of PM Modi’s Independence Day speech:

• I am restless, I am agitated and I am also impatient for my country to lead the fourth industrial revolution, the revolution that is based on knowledge, the revolution which will be led by those who have IT skills. I am impatient for my country to lead it.

• There was a time when for the world India meant – ‘policy paralysis’ and ‘delayed reforms’. However, today India is being discussed for – ‘reform, perform and transform’.

• Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyan will be launched on 25th September, 2018. As a result from now on, common man need not suffer from problems of dreaded diseases. Under the scheme Ayushman Bharat 10 crore families are able to get health insurance benefits, it means nearly 50 crore citizens will be covered. Each family will get 5 lakh rupees health coverage annually.

• It is being said about India’s economy that the ‘sleeping elephant’ has woken up and has started racing. The world economists and institutions have observed that for the next three decades India would contribute momentum to the global economic strength.

• The next year will mark 100 years of the Jalliwanwallahbagh massacre. The masses had sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom; and the exploitation had crossed all limits. The Jalliwanwallahbagh incident inspires us of the sacrifices made by those brave hearts. I salute all those brave hearts from the bottom of my heart.

• I want to reassure the people who have lost their loved ones and are facing a lot of distress due to floods that the country is with them and is making complete efforts for helping them out. My heartfelt condolences are with those who have lost their loved ones.

• The demand to give constitutional status to the OBC commission had been raised for years. This time our Parliament has made an effort to protect the interests of backward classes, interests of the extremely backward classes by according the constitutional status to the OBC commission.

• Triple Talak has endangered the lives of Muslim women. Those who did not get Talak (divorce) are also sailing in the same boat. We made an effort to alleviate the grief of Muslim women by bringing an act in the Monsoon Session of Parliament. But even today there are some people who do not want to pass the Bill.

• Rape is painful. But the agony experienced by the victim is more painful. This should be realized by the people of this country. Everybody should feel the trauma.

• Through Short Service Commission, we will appoint women officers in the Armed Forces of India. Transparency will be maintained in this process. Women officials will be treated at par with male counterparts.

• Government is making efforts to close all the leakages. We are on the path of removal of corruption and black-money. Due to all these efforts we were able to mobilize 90000 crore money to the Government Exchequer. The honest pay taxes. With their contribution schemes are implemented. The credit goes to taxpayer and not to the Government. Upto 2013, for the past 70 years the direct tax payers were only 4 crore people. Now the numbers has doubled and grown to 7.25 crores.