Thoughts on India’s 75th Independence Day

After a prolonged struggle, India gained independence from British control on August 15, 1947. This year celebrates the 75th year of the country’s successful liberation fight. Every year, Independence Day is observed as a reminder of the country’s pride, values, cultural richness, variety, and history.

On the 15th of August 1947, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, unfurled the national flag at the Red Fort and addressed the country. Since then, this custom has been upheld. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the Red Fort once again this year.

In the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the 75th Independence Day of India is being commemorated this year with the theme ‘Nation First, Always First.’  There will be no major events due to the COVID-19 situation.

We are fortunate to have been born in an independent country, and we owe it to our forefathers who made countless sacrifices for it.

President Ram Nath Kovind stated in his speech to the nation on the eve of India’s 75th Independence Day that the country is still fighting the coronavirus pandemic and urged everyone to be vaccinated. The President expressed his sorrow at the loss of life during the second wave of the pandemic, but he found solace in the fact that more lives were saved than lost due to the tireless efforts of healthcare workers and the government.

The President stated marking the beginning of the 75th Independence Day celebrations, “When India got freedom 75 years ago, many skeptical people thought democracy won’t survive in India. little did they know that India has remained the nurturing ground for democracy since time immemorial and continues to remain so.” This year’s Independence Day is special because India is beginning its 75-year celebration of independence, the President remarked, giving tribute to all freedom warriors and commemorating Mahatma Gandhi’s contributions.

While announcing this year as the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, PM Modi said it will infuse new energy and new consciousness among the countrymen.

Paying rich tributes to the Covid Warriors, PM Modi said, “During Covid, our doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, sanitation workers, scientists who were developing vaccines & crores of citizens who were working with a sense of service -all those who devoted every moment to serving others in this period, deserve our appreciation.”

“We forgot the Partition and its horrors after Independence. We need to remember them and the tragedy they faced due to the Partition. We will observe August 14 in honour of the victims of Partition,” said PM Modi. “Our goal for the 100th year is that together, we make prosperity, good governance, discipline, building an ideal India, an India that runs with the world,” he added.

“We have to ensure we meet our goal of building Aatmanirbhar Bharat when we celebrate 100 years of India’s Independence,” PM Modi said. “A time comes in the development journey of every country when that nation defines itself from a new end when it takes itself forward with new resolutions. Today, that time has come in India’s development journey, he added.

“Now we have to move towards saturation in which 100 per cent villages will have roads, 100 per cent households will have a bank account, 100 per cent beneficiaries must have Ayushman Bharat cards, 100 per cent eligible persons should have a gas connection under the Ujjwala scheme,” he added.

PM Modi also said that ‘PM Gati Shakti Plan’ will be launched at the cost of Rs 100 lakh crore to make a foundation for holistic infrastructure and give an integrated pathway to Indian Economy.

“We will have to increase the collective power of the small farmers of the country. We have to give them new facilities. They must become the country’s pride,” said PM Modi who set his focus on Farmers, Rural Economy, Women and Children.

PM Modi also hailed the efforts of Indian Sportspersons’ efforts at Tokyo Olympics and interacted with them at the Red Fort after the speech.

On this historic occasion, let us also remember that our nation’s success and well-being are dependent on delivering the advantages of development and safeguarding the dignity of life for every individual in our country.