The entire country has its eyes on this historic program of today as all the countrymen have joined this program. I heartily welcome and congratulate all the countrymen who are witnessing this historic moment. In this historic moment, my cabinet colleagues Shri Hardeep Puri ji, Shri G Kishan Reddy ji, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal ji, Smt Meenakshi Lekhi ji and Shri Kaushal Kishore ji are also present on the stage with me today. Many dignitaries of the country are also present here.
Friends,
The country has got a new inspiration and energy today in the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence. Today we are filling new colors to the portrait of tomorrow leaving behind the past. This new aura which is visible everywhere is the aura of confidence of New India. Kingsway or Rajpath, the symbol of slavery, has become a matter of history from today, has been erased forever. Today a new history has been created in the form of Kartavya Path. I congratulate all the countrymen for the freedom from yet another identity of slavery in this ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence.
Friends,
Today a huge statue of our national leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose has also been installed near India Gate. At the time of slavery, there was a statue of the representative of the British Raj. Today the country has also established the life of a modern and strong India by installing the statue of Netaji at the same place. Indeed, this opportunity is historic and unprecedented. It is the good fortune of all of us that we are witnessing this day today.
Friends,
Subhas Chandra Bose was such a great man who was beyond the trials of position and resources. His acceptance was such that the whole world considered him a leader. He had courage and self-respect. He had ideas and visions. He had leadership ability. Netaji Subhas used to say – ‘India is not a country that forgets its glorious history. The glorious history of India is in the blood of every Indian, in his traditions’. Netaji Subhas was proud of India's heritage and also wanted to modernize India as soon as possible. If the country had followed the path shown by Subhas Babu after independence, then it would have reached new heights. But unfortunately, this great hero was forgotten after independence. Their ideas and even the symbols associated with them were ignored. I had the privilege of visiting Subhas Babu's house in Kolkata on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary. I felt the infinite energy at the place associated with Netaji. Today it is the endeavour of India that energy of Netaji should guide the country. Netaji's statue on Kartavya Path will become its medium. This statue will become a source of inspiration for Subhas Babu's imprint in the policies and decisions of the country.
Brothers and sisters,
In the last eight years, we have taken several decisions which have the imprint of the ideals and dreams of Netaji. Netaji Subhas was the first head of a united India who had liberated Andaman even before 1947 and unfurled the Tricolour. At that time, he had imagined what it would be like to hoist the Tricolor on the Red Fort. I personally experienced this feeling when I had the privilege of hoisting the Tricolour at the Red Fort on the occasion of 75 years of the Azad Hind government. With the efforts of our government, a museum related to Netaji and Azad Hind Fauj has also been built in the Red Fort.
Friends,
I cannot forget the day when the soldiers of Azad Hind Fauj participated in the Republic Day parade in 2019. They had been waiting for this honor for decades. I had the privilege to visit the place and hoist the Tricolour where Netaji had hoisted the Tricolour in Andaman. That moment was a proud moment for every countryman.
Brothers and sisters,
Those islands of Andaman, which Netaji had liberated for the first time, were also forced to carry the signs of slavery till some time ago! Those islands were named after the British rulers even in independent India. We erased those signs of slavery by giving Indian names and Indian identity by renaming these islands after Netaji Subhas.
Friends,
On the completion of 75 years of independence, the country has envisioned 'Panch Prana' (five pledges) for itself. There is resolution for the big goals of development and inspiration for duties in these five pledges. These include a call to give up the slave mentality and a sense of pride in our heritage. Today India has its own ideals and dimensions. Today India has its own resolutions and goals. Today we have our own paths and symbols. And friends, today if Rajpath has ceased to exist and has become Kartavya Path and if the statue of George V has been replaced by the statue of Netaji, then this is not the first example of rejection of the slave mentality. This is neither the beginning nor the end. It is a continuous journey of determination till the goal of freedom in mind and psyche is achieved. The name of the place where the Prime Ministers of the country have lived has been changed from Race Course Road to Lok Kalyan Marg. The echo of Indian musical instruments is now heard in our Republic Day celebrations. Every Indian is filled with joy by listening to patriotic songs at the Beating Retreat ceremony. More recently, the Indian Navy has also adopted the symbol of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by removing the ensign of slavery. The country has also fulfilled the long-standing wish of all the countrymen by building the National War Memorial.
Friends,
These changes are not limited to symbols only; these changes have also become part of the policies of the country. Today the country has abolished hundreds of laws that existed since the British era. The time and date of the presentation of the Indian Budget, which was following the times of the British Parliament for so many decades, has also been changed. Now the youth of the country are being liberated from the compulsion of foreign language through the National Education Policy. In short, today both the idea and the behavior of the country are becoming free from the slave mentality. This liberation will take us to the goal of a developed India.
Friends,
Mahakavi Bharathiyar wrote a very beautiful poem in Tamil language about the greatness of India. The title of this poem is ‘Parukkulle Nalla Nadu -Yingal, Bharat nad-a’. This poem by Mahakavi Bharathiyar fills every Indian with pride. The meaning of his poem is that our country India is the greatest in knowledge, spirituality, dignity, food donation, music and eternal poems in the whole world. Our country India is the greatest in the whole world in valor, the bravery of armed forces, compassion, in service to others, in finding the truth of life and in scientific research. Experience every word, every emotion of this Tamil poet Bharathiyar in his poem.
Friends,
It was the war cry of India to the whole world during the period of slavery. This was the call for our freedom fighters. We have to build the India which Bharathiyar has described in his poem. And its path leads through this Kartavya Path.
Friends,
Kartavya Path is not just a path of bricks and stones. It is the living path of India's democratic past and all-time ideals. The statue of Netaji and the National War Memorial will inspire people and instill a sense of duty in them. The government of the country is working from this place. You can imagine how Rajpath would make those whom the country has entrusted with the responsibility of serving the public feel that they are servants of the people? If the path is Rajpath, then how will the journey be for the welfare of people? Rajpath was for the British Raj, to whom the people of India were slaves. The spirit of and structure of Rajpath was also a symbol of slavery. Today its architecture as well as its spirit has also changed. Now when the MPs, ministers and officers of the country will pass through this path, they will have a sense of duty towards the country from Kartavya Path and they will get new energy and inspiration. From the National War Memorial to Kartavya Path, this entire stretch of Rashtrapati Bhavan will transmit the feeling of ‘Nation First’ in them every moment.
Friends,
On this occasion, I would like to express special gratitude to those colleagues who have not only built Kartavya Path, but have also shown the country the path of duty through the culmination of their labor. I just got an opportunity to meet those workers. While talking to him, I got the feeling that a grand dream of India resides within the poor, workers and common human beings of the country. While shedding their sweat, they make the same dream come alive. On this occasion, I also thank and congratulate all the poor workers on behalf of the country who are giving an impetus to the country's unprecedented development. When I met these labor brothers and sisters today, I told them that they along with their families would be my special guests on 26th January next year. I am satisfied that today a culture of respect for labor and working people is being developed and a tradition is being revived in the new India. And friends, when it comes to sensitivity in policies, decisions become equally sensitive. Therefore, the country is now taking pride in its labor force. 'Shramev Jayate' is becoming the mantra of the country today. Therefore, when there is a supernatural occasion to inaugurate Vishwanath Dham in Kashi, there is a shower of flowers in the honor of the working people. When there is the holy festival of Kumbh in Prayagraj, gratitude is expressed to the sanitation workers. Just a few days ago, the country got the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. I had the opportunity to meet the labor brothers and sisters and their families who worked day and night in the construction of INS Vikrant. I thanked them when I met them. This tradition of respect for labor is becoming an indelible part of the country's rites. You would love to know that the workers engaged in the construction of the new Parliament would also be given a place in a special gallery. This gallery will also remind the future generations that on the one hand the Constitution is the foundation of democracy and on the other hand the contribution of workers is also there. This Kartavya Path will also give this inspiration to every countryman. This inspiration will pave the way for success through hard work.
Friends,
Modernization is the main goal in this ‘Amrit Kaal’ in our behavior, means, resources and infrastructure. And friends, when we talk about infrastructure, the first picture that comes to the mind of most people is roads or flyovers. But the expansion of infrastructure in a modernizing India is much bigger than that as it has many aspects. Today India is working equally fast on cultural infrastructure besides social, transport and digital infrastructure. Let me give you an example of social infrastructure. Today the number of AIIMS in the country has tripled as compared to earlier. The number of medical colleges has also increased by 50 percent. It shows how India is working today to improve the health of its citizens by providing them modern medical facilities. Today new IITs, triple IT and a modern network of scientific institutions are being continuously expanded and prepared in the country. Piped water supply has been ensured to more than 6.5 crore rural households in the last three years. Today, a great campaign is also underway to make 75 Amrit Sarovar (ponds) in every district of the country. This social infrastructure of India is further enriching social justice.
Friends,
The amount of work India is doing today on the development of transport infrastructure has never happened before. Today record numbers of rural roads are being built across the country along with modern expressways. While the electrification of railways is happening at a rapid pace in the country, the metro is also expanding at the same speed in different cities. Today, many new airports are being built in the country and there is an unprecedented increase in the number of waterways also. Today, India has made its place among the leading countries of the whole world in the construction of digital infrastructure. India's digital progress is being discussed all over the world whether it is laying optical fiber in more than 1.5 lakh panchayats or new records of digital payment.
Brothers and sisters,
In the midst of these infrastructure projects, the work done on cultural infrastructure in India has not been discussed as much. Many pilgrimage centers in the country are being renovated under the PRASAD scheme. The work done for the Kashi-Kedarnath-Somnath to Kartarpur Sahib Corridor is unprecedented. And friends, when we talk about cultural infrastructure, it does not mean only infrastructure related to centers of faith. Infrastructure, which is related to our history, national heroes and heritage, is also being developed with equal diligence. Be it Sardar Patel's Statue of Unity or a museum dedicated to tribal freedom fighters, PM Museum or Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial, National War Memorial or National Police Memorial, these are examples of cultural infrastructure. They define what our culture is as a nation, what our values are and how we are protecting them. An aspirational India can make rapid progress only by giving impetus to social, transport, digital as well as cultural infrastructure. I am happy that today the country is getting another great example of cultural infrastructure in the form of Kartavya Path. From architecture to ideals, you will also get to see Indian culture here and learn a lot. I appeal to every citizen of the country and invite them to come and see this newly built Kartavya Path. You will see the India of the future in it. Its energy will give you a new vision and belief for our vast nation. There will be a drone show based on the life of Netaji Subhas Babu for three days every evening from tomorrow. Come here with your family and take pictures and selfies. You must also upload them on social media with the Hashtag Kartavya Path. I know this entire stretch is the heartbeat of the people of Delhi and a large number of people come with their families and spend time in the evening. The planning, designing and lighting of Kartavya Path has also been done keeping this in mind. I believe that this inspiration of Kartavya Path will create a flow of duty in the country which will take us to the fulfillment of the resolution of a new and developed India. With this belief, I, once again, thank you very much! Now you speak with me, I will say Netaji, you will say Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe!
Netaji -- Amar Rahe!
Netaji -- Amar Rahe!
Netaji -- Amar Rahe!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Bharat Mata ki – Jai!
Vande Mataram!
Vande Mataram!
Vande Mataram!
Thanks a lot!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.
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DS/VJ/VK/AK