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Full text of the Presidents Speech on the eve

of India's 59th Republic Day
Newsdesk/PIB (Govt of India)
Bangkok, January 25th 2008

The President, Smt. Pratibha

Devisingh Patil has greeted the
citizens of India on the eve of
59th Republic Day. The President
observed that the impressive strides
of the Indian economy have
resulted in the emergence of India
as a powerful player in the global economy. However, she
pointed out that people’s participation is key to the effective
implementation of programmes and projects launched by the
Government. She added that there is a need to create a band
of committed social workers and civil society members to
spread awareness and to share the onus of implementation by
joining hands with the Government.

Speaking on rural economy, the President said that the slow

growth in the agriculture sector is a matter of concern and
there is a need to expeditiously work in the direction of bringing
in a Second Green Revolution in the country. The President
noted that there is a need to address social evils like child
marriage, female foeticide, female infanticide and dowry, calling
upon women and the youth of the country to take up the
challenge to eliminate these social evils.

Following is the text of the President’s speech :-

“Tomorrow our nation celebrates its 59th Republic Day. On this
occasion, I have great pleasure in extending my warm greetings
and good wishes to my fellow citizens from all walks of life living
in the country and overseas. I convey my special greetings, to

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the members of our Armed Forces

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The formation of the Republic on 26th January 1950 was the

first milestone in our march towards realizing the dreams of our
people in the aftermath of Independence. The Constitution gave
expression to the goals, ideals and values that guided our
freedom struggle. It laid the foundations of the structure of
governance and committed to secure for all citizens - justice,
liberty and equality as well as dignity. The Constitution, since its
adoption, has been our astute guide.

Last year, we celebrated 60 years of our independence. It was

a historic event. The journey has been long, but we have
traveled far. Like any great journey, we have had our moments
of triumph and glory as also our share of sorrows and travails.
We overcame every obstacle and traversed every hurdle,
because we consciously and firmly believed in India – our
Motherland, a nation with great civilizational strength, an
underlying unity and a promising future. All along we had an
abiding faith in the talent and resilience of the people of India.
We were inspired during this journey by the values of freedom,
tolerance and plurality, which have given to India its defining
identity – a country with Unity in Diversity. India, consisting of
people with different religions, languages and customs, draws
its inherent strength from each and everyone of its diverse
units. Today, as a nation and as individual citizens, we must

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pledge to uphold this spirit of solidarity and respect for the

multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic character of India.

We are the largest democracy in the world and one of the

most stable. We have held 14 General elections to Parliament,
in which power has been transferred to different political parties
and groups according to the mandate of the people. Our
vibrant and functioning democracy has won universal applause.
Following the Constitutional Amendments in 1992, we introduced
democracy at the grassroots level. Today, there are 3.2 million
representatives who have been elected from villages, towns and
cities. We are also proud that 1.2 million of these elected
representatives are women. This is by far the largest number
of elected representatives ever in history, or anywhere in the
contemporary world. Democracy has given a voice to all citizens
of the country. We owe this to the sacrifices made by our
freedom fighters, many of who laid down their lives, in the long
and hard struggle for independence. We have a sacred duty to
follow the highest traditions of democratic principles and values.

Our economy is growing at unprecedented rates and we can be

confident that we will be able to achieve the growth targets we
have set for ourselves. The impressive strides of the Indian
economy have resulted in the emergence of India as a powerful
player in the global economy. This century will belong to Asia
and India will be one of the main driving forces. I recall that
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister had described
the birth of India as the rise of a “new star”. Today, we see
how true that statement was. Recently, during my interaction
with some youth of the Indian Diaspora they told me that they
had read about India’s growing stature but during their visit to
India they could “feel the power of India”. Such is the
impression that India makes on visitors. It is now time for
realizing India’s tryst with destiny.

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The benefits of the upsurge in the economy, however, have not

reached all sections of our population. In all good faith, we
cannot look at the future, without first addressing the needs of
the under-privileged and the disadvantaged sections of our
society, with special emphasis on the empowerment of the
Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and other weaker
sections of society. We must ensure that they too should find a
place to enjoy the sunshine of the country’s growth and
development. Our efforts and our commitment, while pursuing
the goal of high growth rates, should be to ensure that all
people of our country benefit from it. Our pledge will remain
unfulfilled until, as Gandhiji had said - we have wiped every tear
in every eye.

The Government has opted for not only faster but also more
inclusive growth in the 11th Five Year plan period from 2007 to
2012. This will be important for the overall progress and
prosperity of all. The Government also has several flagship
programmes like Bharat Nirman, the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Programme, the Rural Health Mission, the Jawaharlal
Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and the Sarva Siksha
Abhiyan. These are designed to improve the lives of the people.
But their implementation remains a challenge. A question that
we need to ask is how effective are our delivery mechanisms
and what are the weaknesses? We have to find the appropriate
remedial answers. I believe that people’s participation is key to
the effective implementation of programmes and projects. The
involvement of local self-government bodies could improve
delivery mechanisms as they are closer to implementation
levels. The entire Government machinery has to work to fulfill
the aspirations of the people. I call upon all concerned to
deliver on social welfare schemes in a time bound manner as
well as work with accountability and in a transparent manner.

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When you work for the development of a country it is not

merely a job that has to be done but it is a mission that has to
be achieved. This should be the spirit in which development
work is undertaken.

I have noticed that often there is a lack of awareness among

beneficiaries about schemes meant for their welfare and
development. This means that they are unable to avail of the
benefits meant for them. This situation needs to be rectified
through awareness programmes. We need a band of
committed social workers and civil society members to spread
awareness and to share the onus of implementation by joining
hands with the Government.

Corruption is an evil that afflicts our system and we have to

eliminate it. Every Rupee meant for development that goes out
of the system due to corruption is a Rupee less for our
development programmes. The country cannot afford the loss
of resources meant for its development. We must strengthen
measures for the removal of corruption by bringing about
greater transparency.

Speaking at the Constituent Assembly on 25th November 1949,

Baba Sahib Ambedkar stressed that freedom brings
responsibility and that after having achieved independence we
would have no excuse nor any one else to blame for our
failures. Each one of us is responsible for the progress and the
future of India as also each one of us will have to bear blame
for the shortcomings and deficiencies. I have often said that
Government, civil society, NGOs and every citizen will have to
work collectively for the growth of society and for the
advancement of the nation. We must recognize that just as we
ask for our rights, we have an obligation to perform our duties.
Just as Gandhiji led the freedom struggle based on moral

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values, similarly all social, economic, administrative, political and

educational activities should be carried out on the basis of moral
values and social justice. Only then will our progress have a
more gentle and humane touch.

The country is faced with internal threats from Naxalism and

terrorism. Whatever their grievances, those who use guns and
subscribe to an extreme ideology, have not chosen the correct
path. In a democracy, there is no place for violent methods.
Naxalites exploit sentiments of discontentment in the
undeveloped parts of the country. The Government is
committed to give special attention to the welfare of our tribals
and marginal farmers as a part of its policy of seeking inclusive
growth. At the same time growth of Naxilism should be handled
firmly.

70 percent of our population lives in the rural areas. I am

concerned about farmers committing suicide and hope that
steps taken by the Government to ameliorate their problems will
rectify this situation. The slow growth in the agriculture sector is
a matter of concern but I am very hopeful of its potential. The
Green Revolution showed that we could through our efforts
become self-sufficient in food production and later we replicated
this success in milk production as well. Today, once again we
need to give agriculture an impetus, to enhance productivity and
to make our rural areas, centres of agro-processing and other
related industries. We have one of the largest arable land
areas in the world and I have no doubt that with better
agricultural practices, land management and water
management, agriculture will continue to play a pivotal role in
the country. In rural areas, the cooperative movement should
work in a more forceful and pro-active manner by providing
guidance to farmers and becoming more agriculturist-friendly. I
appeal to agricultural scientists, experts and all concerned to

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expeditiously work in the direction of bringing in a Second Green

Revolution in the country.

The future of the world will be shaped by advances in Science

and Technology and it will increasingly become knowledge-
based. Though we have a strong lead in the Information and
Communication Technology and bio-technology sectors, we must
continue to invest in research and development as also build up
our educational institutions. Students should be encouraged to
pursue basic sciences. State Governments and educational
institutions should make special efforts to attract students to
science disciplines. Education is the most important tool for
empowering the people of a country. Quest for knowledge has
always been a part of the ethos of our country. It is for these
reasons that since independence we have consistently sought to
build a strong infrastructure for education. As we work towards
the goal of universal primary education by 2010, we should also
aim to increase enrolment in higher education and technical
education. I firmly believe that the light of modern education
should touch every person - man and woman, boy and girl. I
call on the children and youth of our country to study and
acquire knowledge for an enlightened future of India.

Women constitute about half of our population but face a

number of challenges. There should be laws for the
empowerment and protection of women and most importantly,
their effective implementation. We also need to address social
evils like child marriage, female foeticide, female infanticide and
dowry. I am concerned about the debilitating effect on
individuals, families and societies of alcoholism and drug
addiction. I would particularly call upon on women and the
youth of the country to take up the challenge to eliminate these
social evils and work towards changing social attitudes and
mindsets.

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As development takes place we should not forget that the

objective is not merely to create wealth. It should be to build a
humane society. We cannot afford to have insular attitudes
and be unconcerned about the needs of others. In this context,
I would like to mention that persons with disabilities must get
benefits and adequate opportunities to live a life of dignity. The
Government has recently announced a package of Rs. 1800
crore for providing one lakh jobs per year to persons with
disabilities. Society must have a helpful and positive attitude
towards the disabled and older citizens.

We must preserve and protect our rich cultural heritage and its
values of compassion and harmonious living. In the joy of song
and dance, painting and sculpture, literature and poetry we
should discover and imbibe the best that has been passed on to
us from generation to generation over millennia.

India has always had a vision and a message for the world.
From the very beginning of our civilization we have believed that
the world is one and humanity is a single family. India is
committed to establish ties of friendship and co-operation with
all countries. India’s engagement with the world is intensifying
both in the economic and political fields. India is a country that
has, and is, contributing to regional and global peace and
stability. Today, terrorism constitutes a grave threat to the
civilized world. The continuing terrorist attacks are reminders of
the need to take collective action. India will continue to work
with the international community to create a better world – a
world free of terror, poverty, disease, ignorance and inequality.

I would like to once again convey my good wishes to my fellow

citizens with a benediction for human welfare contained in the
following lines written by the great poet, Kalidas:-

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Which means:-

May all experience bliss

May all wishes be fulfilled

May all rejoice everywhere

When the national Tri-colour unfurls tomorrow, on Republic Day,

let each one of us commit ourselves to live up to our duties and
responsibilities, conscious that we represent a great nation with
a great destiny.”

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