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New
Delhi:
The following is the text of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's
Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort here
Monday:
My dear countrymen,
I heartily greet 120 crore Indians on the 64th anniversary of our
independence.
I have been addressing you from the historic Red Fort for the last
seven years. In these seven years, our country has achieved much.
During this period, we have travelled rapidly on the path of
development and have seen success in many areas. However, I am
also well aware that a lot remains to be done. We have to banish
poverty and illiteracy from our country. We have to provide the
common man with access to improved health services. We have to
provide employment opportunities to each one of our youth.
The road ahead is long and arduous. Particularly, the prevailing
situation both inside and outside the country is such that if we
do not act with understanding and restraint, our security and
prosperity can get adversely affected. The world economy is
slowing down. The developed countries especially America and
countries of Western Europe are facing economic problems. There is
unrest in many Arab countries of the Middle East. There are some
people who want to create disturbances in the country so that our
progress gets stalled. All this can have a negative impact on us.
But we will not let this happen. I know that if we work together,
we can face any challenge. However, it is necessary that we rise
above personal or political interests and build consensus on
issues of vital national importance.
Brothers and sisters,
We are building the edifice of modern India on the foundation of
the hard work and sacrifices of our soldiers, our farmers and our
workers. We will not let their hard work and sacrifices go waste.
We will convert the dreams of our freedom fighters into reality.
Brothers and sisters,
In the last seven years, our government has strived for political
stability and social and economic progress. We have established an
environment of communal harmony in the country.
In these seven years, the pace of our economic development has
been rapid. We have achieved this success despite the global
economic slow-down of 2008 and rising prices of energy and
commodities in world markets.
We have strived for reducing inequalities in the country. In the
last seven years, we have taken special care of the needs of our
brothers and sisters from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes, minorities, women and children.
We have enacted laws which would guarantee our people their basic
entitlements. After the rights to education, employment and
information, we will soon enact a legislation for providing food
security to the people.
In the last seven years, our relations with various countries of
the world have strengthened and deepened. It is only the result of
our hard work that today we have much more self respect and
self-confidence in ourselves.
Brothers and sisters,
These successes are not ordinary. Today the world recognizes our
potential to be one of the major economic powers globally. But the
problem of corruption is a big obstacle in such a transformation.
In the last few months many instances of corruption have come to
light. In some cases, functionaries of the central government face
allegations of corruption. In other cases, it is the functionaries
of various state governments.
We are taking the strictest possible action in cases of corruption
that have surfaced. These cases are sub-judice and hence I will
say nothing more on this subject.
It is essential that when we consider these issues, we do not
create an atmosphere in which the country's progress comes into
question. Any debate on these matters should reflect the
confidence that we can overcome these challenges.
Corruption manifests itself in many forms. In some instances,
funds meant for schemes for the welfare of the common man end up
in the pocket of government officials. In some other instances
government discretion is used to favour a selected few. There are
also cases where government contracts are wrongfully awarded to
the wrong people. We cannot let such activities continue
unchecked.
I believe that there is no single big step which we can take to
eradicate corruption. In fact, we will have to act simultaneously
on many fronts.
We will have to improve our justice delivery system. Everyone
should know that quick action will be taken against the corrupt
and punishment meted out to them. If our system delivers justice
in an effective manner, government officials would think twice
before committing a wrong act out of greed or under political
pressure.
We want a strong Lokpal to prevent corruption in high places. We
have recently introduced a bill in parliament to achieve this. Now
only parliament can decide what type of Lokpal legislation should
be enacted. I am aware of the differences of opinion on some
aspects of the bill. Those who don't agree with this bill can put
forward their views to parliament, political parties and even the
press. However, I also believe that they should not resort to
hunger strikes and fasts unto death.
It is not appropriate to bring the judiciary under the ambit of
Lokpal. We believe that any such provision would go against the
independence of the judiciary. However, we do need a framework in
which the judiciary becomes more accountable. It is with this aim
that we have introduced the Judicial Accountability Bill in
parliament. I am confident that this bill will be passed soon.
An alert press and an aware citizenry can be very helpful in the
fight against corruption. The Indian press is known for its
independence and activism throughout the world. The Right to
Information legislation that we have enacted has enabled our press
and people to keep a strict watch on the work of the government.
Today many government decisions, which in the absence of this Act
would escape public scrutiny, are coming to light. I believe that
this is a big step forward in eradicating corruption.
Brothers and Sisters,
Many times, government discretion is misused in allocation of
scarce resources and in the grant of clearances. We have examined
this issue. We will put an end to such discretionary powers
wherever possible.
Any government awards contracts worth thousands of crores every
year. There are frequent complaints of corruption in these
decisions. We had constituted a committee to suggest measures to
reduce corruption in government purchases. The committee has
recommended that, like many other countries, we should also have a
public procurement legislation which lays down the principles and
practice with regard to government purchases. We will introduce a
bill in parliament by the end of this year to enact such a law.
In recent years, we have established independent regulatory
authorities in many areas. These authorities discharge many
responsibilities which were earlier in the domain of the
government itself. We have no legislation which would enable
monitoring of the work of these regulatory authorities and make
them more accountable, without, however, compromising their
independence. We are also considering enactment of such a law.
Brothers and sisters,
I have said so much on corruption because I know that this problem
is a matter of deep concern for all of us. However, this is a
difficulty for which no government has a magic wand. We are taking
simultaneous action on many fronts in our fight against
corruption. We want all political parties to stand shoulder to
shoulder with us in this fight. To eradicate corruption, we have
introduced, and will introduce, many bills in parliament. I hope
that all political parties will cooperate in the process of
converting these bills into statutes. On the issue of corruption,
I would like to say in the end that we can win the fight against
corruption only when each and every citizen of India cooperates in
it.
Brothers and sisters,
I congratulate the country's farmers for their achievements this
year. The production of foodgrains has been at a record level.
Wheat, maize, pulses and oilseeds have all seen record levels of
production. It is because of the hard work of our farmers that
today there are proposals for export of foodgrains, sugar and
cotton.
We need a second Green Revolution in agriculture. We can tackle
the problem of rising food prices only by increasing agricultural
production and productivity. We also need to increase agricultural
production to implement a food security law. We will accelerate
our efforts in this direction in the 12th Plan.
Today, I wish to assure our farmer brothers and sisters,
particularly those who are small and marginal, that we will
continue to take care of their special needs. It will be our
endeavour to ensure that our farmers have easy access to
fertilizers, seeds and credit. We also want to provide the best
possible irrigation facilities to the farmers so that their
dependence on rains is reduced.
Brothers and sisters,
Our country is passing through a phase of sustained high
inflation. Controlling rising prices is a primary responsibility
of any government. Our government fully understands this
responsibility.
We have continuously taken steps to rein in prices. Some time we
have been confronted with a situation in which the reasons for
rising prices lay outside the country. The prices of petroleum
products, foodgrains and edible oil have risen steeply in
international markets in recent times. Since we import these
products in large quantities, any rise in their prices adds to
inflationary pressure in our country.
Sometimes we have been successful too in controlling inflation.
But this success has not proved lasting. A few days back, the
people's concern at rising prices was also reflected in a
discussion in parliament. I wish to assure you today that we are
continuously monitoring the situation to find out what new steps
can be taken to arrest rising prices. Finding a solution to this
problem will be our top-most priority in the coming months.
Brothers and sisters,
I am fully aware of the tensions caused in some parts of the
country because of acquisition of land for industry,
infrastructure and urbanization. Our farmers have been especially
affected by such acquisition. Land acquisition is no doubt
necessary for projects of public interest. But it should take
place in a transparent and fair manner. The interests of those
whose livelihoods are dependent on the land being acquired should
be fully protected. We will ensure that no injustice is done to
anyone in the process of land acquisition. Our government wants to
replace the 117 year old land acquisition law by a new Land
Acquisition and Rehabilitation law which is forward looking and
balanced. We have already prepared a draft legislation and have
initiated steps to build consensus on it. We will soon introduce a
bill in parliament to this end.
Brothers and sisters,
We are satisfied with our achievements in the last seven years in
the areas of education and health. Whether it is elementary
education, secondary education or higher education we have taken
concrete steps for improvements at all levels. This has shown good
results. In the last few years, fundamental changes have taken
place in the area of education. Today every citizen has a right to
elementary education. We are now considering universalization of
secondary education. Vocational education and skill development
have acquired a new importance. In view of these major changes, it
is necessary that we consider all aspects of education in a
comprehensive manner. Therefore we have decided to appoint an
education commission to make recommendations for improvements at
all levels of education.
I have often referred to the 11th Five Year Plan as an education
plan. We will lay the same emphasis on health in the 12th plan as
we laid on education in the 11th plan. I will propose to the
National Development Council that the 12th plan should be
specially focused on health. I also promise that funds will not be
a constraint in the important areas of education and health.
For a long time our country had no facility for health insurance
for workers in the unorganized sector. In 2008, we began the
Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana for workers in the unorganized
sector who are below the poverty line. In the last year we have
covered those getting employment under Mahatma Gandhi Rural
Employment Act and also domestic workers, street vendors and beedi
workers under this scheme. Today the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima
Yojana covers about 2 crore 50 lakh workers. Our government will
endeavour to cover as many unorganized sector workers as possible
under this scheme.
Brothers and sisters,
We are continuously strengthening the physical infrastructure in
our country. This is an area which requires very large
investments. It is for this reason that in the last seven years we
have pursued policies which encourage investment in
infrastructure.
As a percentage of GDP, investment in this area has grown more
than one and a half times in the last seven years. There have been
improvements in our capacities in the petroleum sector and power
generation, and in our airports, roads, especially rural road, and
ports. As an illustration, the capacity in power generation that
we are going to add in the 11th plan will be twice that of the
10th plan.
In the 12th Plan, we will further accelerate investment in
infrastructure. We will pay special attention to the remote areas
of our country and to rural areas. Connecting such areas by rail
and road will get the top most priority.
Brothers and sisters,
We have taken a major step this year for our poor brothers and
sisters living in cities. Recently we have approved the Rajiv Awas
Yojana. We want to make India slum free through this scheme. We
want the slum dwellers to get ownership of clean houses and have
access to basic amenities like water and electricity. We will
implement the Rajiv Awas Yojana as a national mission together
with the states.
Brothers and sisters,
Malnutrition in our women and children is a matter of concern for
all of us. We have taken a number of steps to tackle this problem,
including two new schemes. We have also decided that we will start
implementing an improved Integrated Child Development Services
scheme within the next six months so that the problem of
malnutrition in children can be effectively addressed.
The figures of census 2011 show improvements in most areas. But it
is a matter of deep regret for us that the sex ratio has shown a
decline from the level of the last census. For an improvement in
this state of affairs, it is not only necessary to implement the
existing laws effectively but it is also essential to change the
approach with which our society views girls and women. I would
especially appeal to the state governments and social service
organizations to take steps for empowerment of women and for
improving their status in society.
Brothers and sisters,
Last month's terrorists attacks in Mumbai warn us that there
cannot be any slip up in our vigilance as far as the fight against
terrorism is concerned. This is a long battle to be fought jointly
by the Central Government, the State Governments and the common
man. We have been steadily strengthening our intelligence and
security agencies and will continue to do so in the future also.
We are also taking all possible steps to overcome the challenge of
naxalism. We want to eradicate the very reasons which give rise to
this problem. Therefore we have started a new scheme for the
accelerated development of 60 backward and tribal dominated
districts. An amount of Rs.3,300 crore will be spent on this
scheme in a period of two years.
Brothers and sisters,
Preserving our environment even as we develop rapidly is a huge
challenge for us. Climate change poses a threat to both our
development processes and our natural resources. We have
established eight missions on climate change and are working hard
to implement these missions. We have set up the National Ganga
River Basin Authority for the protection and cleaning of river
Ganga. We have also established the National Green Tribunal for
quick disposal of cases involving environmental issues. In the
coming months, we will constitute an environmental assessment and
monitoring authority to streamline the process of environmental
clearances.
Brothers and sisters,
Our society and country are changing rapidly because of our fast
economic growth. Today our people look towards the future with new
hope. They have higher aspirations. Our young men and women strive
for path breaking achievements. We should all build an environment
in the country in which the energy and enthusiasm of the people
are channelised into activities of nation building. Our
institutions should encourage constructive utilization of the
potential of our people. Our entrepreneurs and businessmen should
not feel constrained in their activities. Our industrialists
should have the opportunity to set up new industries so that our
youth can get additional avenues for productive employment. We
should all stay away from politics that create suspicion or
apprehension amongst those connected with industry, business and
investment.
Brothers and sisters,
It is not an ordinary achievement for our democracy with a
population of 120 crore and so many religions, languages and
cultures to march rapidly ahead on the path of development. I
congratulate the people of India on this achievement. But we must
ensure that inequalities do not increase even as we develop
rapidly.
We have embarked on a journey to transform our huge and diverse
country through rapid development. A development which benefits
every citizen of the country. It is natural that tensions would
sometimes arise in this process of change. In a democracy, such
tensions also become issues of political polarization. We should
endeavour that even as political parties oppose and engage in
debate against each other, the pace of our progress does not get
affected.
We should also have faith that our democracy, our institutions and
our social ideals and values have the capacity to deal with any
difficulty. We should all have faith in ourselves. The faith that
we can build a promising future for ourselves. The faith, that
united we can do the most difficult of tasks. Let us all resolve
to build a bright future for our country.
Dear Children, join me in saying
Jai Hind
Jai Hind
Jai Hind
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