Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah attended the birth centenary celebrations of freedom fighter and founder of 'Lokmat' Jawaharlal Darda and completion of 50 years of 'Lokmat Nagpur Edition' in Nagpur, Maharashtra today as the chief guest. Shri Amit Shah paid tribute to Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar by visiting his Deeksha Bhoomi. Union Home Minister paid floral tributes to founding Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Dr. Hedgewar ji and second Sarsanghchalak Shri Guruji at Reshim Bagh in Nagpur. Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis and Chairman of Lokmat Media Group and former MP Shri Vijay Darda were also present in the function organized on the completion of 50 years of Lokmat Group.

Shri Amit Shah extended his wishes to all the countrymen on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri today. In his address, the Home Minister said that any organization can celebrate the Golden Jubilee by working continuously for fifty years only because of the truth, courage and continuity of its organizers. The founders of Lokmat Group also imbibed these three qualities important for a newspaper and formed their methodology. He said that Lokmat has successfully completed its journey from monthly to fortnightly, weekly and daily editions and is currently making information popular and useful through social media along with TV and online editions. Shri Shah said that keeping a magazine popular as well as profitable while managing journalism is a very difficult task. Lokmat group has done it in a very good manner, congratulations to Lokmat group for this.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that Maharashtra has a very bright history in the field of Journalism. He said that the father of Marathi journalism, Bal Shastri Jambhekar first started publishing a magazine named 'Darpan' in the year 1832 and Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the magazine 'Kesari' in the year 1881, which worked to awaken the consciousness of freedom not only in Maharashtra but in the entire country. Through this, the thoughts of freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak reached the youth of Maharashtra as well as across the country. Shri Shah said that Lokmat is also associated with this tradition as it was Lokmanya Tilak who named Lokmat.

Shri Amit Shah said that the time to take a stand for principles comes only two or three times in a person's life, which is momentary and this moment makes a person great and imparts immortality. This stand is not taken after a deliberate thought but is taken from the mind which depends on the values, beliefs and principles of a person. Jawaharlal Darda ji defended this institution by taking the right stand at the time of emergency, which is a big thing in itself. He said that journalism is considered the fourth pillar of democracy. Whenever there is a decline in social life, there is a decline in every field, but Lokmat continued its journey on the basis of its principles even in such times and reached this position. Shri Shah said that late Shri Jawahar Lal Darda actively participated in the freedom movement and remained in jail for almost two and a half years. Along with this, while in politics after independence, he created high standards for providing a good magazine to society. Some principles have to be fixed for the continuous running of an organization, however Shri Jawaharlal Darda created high standards for 'Lokmat' from the acts of his own life.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that running a newspaper brings a lot of fame to the founder, but running any newspaper also requires a lot of effort. Today, the founders of Lokmat have established a very good tradition by honoring the senior employees working in every field of this organization. He said that a complete team leader is the one who earns the trust of the team with compassion and has respect for the whole team and only such a team leader can win the trust of the people as well. Shri Shah saluted all the senior personnel who were honored for their contribution for the work done by them for fifty years. He said that this seed of public opinion sown by Shri Jawaharlal ji has become a huge banyan tree today, which has become the sixth largest newspaper in India and number one in Maharashtra and Goa, reaching 2.25 crore readers daily. Shri Shah said that more than six crore viewers of Maharashtra, Goa and Delhi watch Lokmat TV channel and now Lokmat has made its debut in digital media.

Shri Amit Shah said that instead of making ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ a government programme, the Prime Minister of the country Shri Narendra Modi has made it a program of 130 crore people. Within the last one year, an indelible impression of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav has been left on the minds of the new generation which is taking shape in every school, college of the country, and this continues even today. He said that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has set three goals in front of the people of the country in Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. First- Children, youth and teenagers of our country, should know about the sacrifices made by the freedom fighters and take pride in the sacrifice in the culture and values of country, conceive them to mold their lives. Second- To put the achievements of 75 years of India in front of the public and build an India full of confidence. In the last 75 years, the country has imbibed democracy. Today, India has achieved the fifth position in the table of the world's largest economies, leaving behind England, which ruled our country for more than 150 years. This is a great achievement. He said that in the last 75 years, without any ego India has proved itself in front of the world by its efforts. From becoming education, space, manufacturing hub and bringing defense industries from around the world to India, and protecting democratic values, transforming villages with technology, increasing the facilities of the people by assimilating technology in administration and with the virtue of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ India has made remarkable achievement in every field. It is a matter of pride for every Indian that we have accomplished a lot in the last 75 years by standing up to help the whole world and raising the standard of living of 60 crore poor people. Third - In the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Kaal’, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has set a target in front of the country to make India first in every field in the next 25 years. He said that in the 25 years of ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’, every person has to make India first in every field in the world by taking a resolution. Shri Shah said that we all should move forward with one mind, one direction and one goal to build the India of the dream of the freedom fighters who sacrificed everything for the freedom of the country. The Union Home Minister said that the country has achieved a lot in almost last nine years under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He said that earlier it was said for our country that if other countries did not give us weapons, then we would not be able to protect our country, today the same India is standing firmly in front of the world with 70 percent self-reliance. Realizing the dream of Make in India, today India has become a manufacturing hub in the world.

Referring to the successful fight against the Corona pandemic, Shri Amit Shah said that the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi successfully conquered the Corona pandemic by making the fight against Corona unified battle of the Central Government, the State Governments and the 130 crore people of the country. He said that many scholars of the economic world used to discuss that there will be a big recession in India, recession happened but India remained out of it because our country adopted the right economic policy. Shri Shah said that during the Corona period, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi provided free food grains to 80 crore people for two years. He said that even many developed countries could not dare to give free food grains to 80 crore people, but when there is sensitivity towards the citizens of the country, decisions are not taken on files but with heart and mind.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that during the Corona period, the country has learned to build infrastructure and an infrastructure worth Rs 60,000 crore has been built in the health sector. He said that when the government thinks about the country and the people, it does not delay even a second in taking decisions. He said that the present government has taken the harshest decisions, which no other dedicated leader could dare. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Government of India has never taken decisions which are liked by the people, rather has taken decisions which are good for the people. Shri Shah said that it is very easy to make decisions which are liked by the people but it is very difficult to take such decisions which are good for the people. The people of the country have always trusted these decisions of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi, the party has won every election one after the other.

Shri Amit Shah said that with the new hydrogen policy, India will lead the world in the field of hydrogen in the next 2-3 years. He said that apart from becoming the headquarter of Solar Energy in Gurugram and becoming a leader in the world in the field of non-conventional energy, with new Space Policy India will also come forward in this field within 4-5 years. Shri Shah said that today the startups of our youth have made a unique identity in the world and many of our youth have become multi-millionaires.

The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has never done vote bank politics. Before Shri Narendra Modi came to power, Kashmir, North-East and Left Wing Extremism affected areas were three big hotspots in terms of internal security. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, violence has been reduced by 80 percent in these three areas. Shri Shah said that after the abrogation of Article 370, some people used to say in Parliament that rivers of blood will flow in Kashmir, but no one even dared to throw a pebble there. Earlier there used to be stone pelting and processions in Kashmir, today all this has disappeared and cinema halls have started functioning and night shows are also being held. In one year, 18 million people have visited Kashmir, which is a big achievement. He said that in the first 70 years an investment of Rs 12,000 crore had come and now an investment of Rs 12,000 crore has come in the last three years. Electricity and water have reached every house in Kashmir.

The Union Home Minister said that there has been a lot of reduction in left wing extremism. Earlier there were 160 districts affected by Left Wing Extremism at the highest level, today their number has reduced to only 46. He said that there has been an average reduction of 80 per cent in all forms of Left Wing Extremism related violence. Like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand are also almost free from Left Wing Extremism. There is a small area left where the personnel of our Central Armed Police Forces are fighting the Left Wing Extremism. The Home Minister expressed confidence that the Government of India would soon win here too. Shri Amit Shah said that there has been a 90 percent reduction in violence in the North East in the last three years. He said that today peace has been established in the Northeast and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has been removed from 60 percent of the areas. He said that more than 8000 youths of the North-East have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream. Shri Shah expressed confidence that the laying of a foundation for the resolution kept by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in front of all of us to take India to the top position in the world by 2047 has been completed, now it is the right time to take this resolution to realization.

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