The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi replied to the motion of thanks on the President’s address to Parliament in the Lok Sabha today.
The Prime Minister began his address to the House by referring to the Sengol that led the procession with pride and respect as Rastrapati Ji arrived in the new House to deliver her address and the rest of the Parliamentarians followed her lead. PM Modi underlined that this legacy increases the dignity of the house manifold and said that the 75th Republic Day, the new Parliament House and the arrival of the Sengol was a very impactful event. He thanked the Members of the House for contributing their thoughts and ideas to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address.
The Prime Minister underlined that the President’s address is a huge document based on facts that gave an indication of the speed and scale of India’s progress and also drew attention to the fact that the nation will become developed faster only if the four pillars of Nari Shakti, Yuva Shakti, the poor and the Ann Data are developed and strengthened. He said the address illuminates the path for the nation to become Viksit Bharat by strengthening these four pillars.
Stressing the need for a strong opposition, the Prime Minister said that dynastic politics is a cause for concern for the Democracy of India. Throwing light on the meaning of dynastic politics, PM Modi explained that a political party which runs a family, prioritizes its members, and where all decisions are taken by the family members is considered dynastic politics rather than several members of a family who are making their way forward in politics on its own strength with the support of the people. “I welcome all young people in politics who are here to serve the nation”, PM Modi exclaimed, drawing attention to the dangers of dynastic politics to democracy. He lamented the emergence of a culture in politics and said the developments taking place in the country do not belong to one person but to every citizen.
Commenting on India’s robust economy which is being appreciated by the world today, the Prime Minister said, “Modi’s guarantee that India will become the 3rd largest economy of the world in the present government’s third term”. He said that the world’s views and opinions towards India can be summed up by the success of the G20 Summit.
Underlining the role of the government in steering the nation towards prosperity, Prime Minister Modi drew attention to the Interim Budget tabled in the House in 2014 by the previous government and the statement of the then Finance Minister. He pointed out that during his address, the then Finance Minister had informed about India being the 11th largest economy in terms of the size of its GDP, while today the country has reached the 5th position. Further quoting the then FM, the Prime Minister said that the nation would grow to become the 3rd largest economy in the world after the USA and China in the next 3 decades. “Today”, the Prime Minister exclaimed, “I assure the nation that India will become the 3rd largest economy in the world in the present government’s third term.”
Prime Minister Modi underlined that the whole world is watching the speed of the work of the government as well as its big goals and courage. He informed the House that the present government built 4 crore houses for the rural poor and 80 lakh pucca houses for the urban poor. In the last 10 years, electrification of 40,000 kms of railway lines was achieved, 17 crore extra gas connections were provided, and sanitation coverage increased from 40 percent to 100 percent.
Lamenting the half-hearted approach of the previous governments towards welfare and its lack of confidence in the people of India, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the present government’s belief in the strengths and capabilities of Indian citizens. He remarked, “In the first term, we kept filling the potholes of the previous governments, in the second term we laid the foundation of a new India, in the third term we will accelerate the development of a Viksit Bharat.” The Prime Minister listed down the schemes of the first term and mentioned Swacch Bharat, Ujjwala, Ayushman Bharat, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Sugamya Bharat, Digital India and GST. Similarly, PM Modi said that the nation witnessed the abolition of Article 370, the passage of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the adoption of Bhartiya Nyay Samhita, the repealing of more than 40,000 obsolete laws, and the launch of Vande Bharat and Namo Bharat trains in the second term. “From North to South, from East to West, people have seen the pending projects being completed in a timely manner”, he said. He stated that the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra has shown the government’s dedication and determination towards making basic facilities available to everyone. Speaking about the consecration of the Ram Temple, PM Modi said, “Ram temple in Ayodhya will continue to give energy to the great culture and tradition of India”
Prime Minister Modi emphasized that the present government’s third term will be focused on major decisions. “Government’s third term will lay the foundations of the country for the next 1000 years”, the Prime Minister remarked. Expressing confidence in the capabilities of the 140 crore citizens of the country, PM Modi said that 25 crore people have risen out of poverty in the last 10 years. He reiterated that the poor can defeat poverty if they are provided with the right resources and self-respect. Shri Modi mentioned 50 crore poor own bank accounts, 4 crore own houses, 11 crore receive tapped water connections, 55 crore possess Ayushman Cards and 80 crore people received free food grains. “Modi is concerned for those who were once nobody’s concern”, Shri Modi said, mentioning the street vendors who now avail interest-free loans under PM Svanidhi, Vishwakarma Yojna for artisans and handicraftsmen, PM Jan Man Yojna for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, Vibrant Villages Program for development of border areas, focus on millet production, Vocal for Local and strengthening the Khadi sector.
PM Modi also drew attention towards conferring Shri Karpoori Thakur with the Bharat Ratna and pointed out how the great personality was treated with disrespect by the previous governments. He recalled the attempts made to overthrow his government when Shri Thakur was the Chief Minister of Bihar in the 1970s.
The Prime Minister highlighted the contributions of the government to empower the Nari Shakti of India. “Now there is no such sector in India where the doors are closed for the daughters of the country. They are also flying fighter jets and keeping the borders safe”, a proud Prime Minister said. He expressed confidence in the capabilities of women’s self-help groups which have more than 10 crore members and give impetus to India’s rural economy. PM Modi informed that in the coming years, the nation will witness 3 crore Lakhpati Didis. He expressed delight with the change in thinking where the birth of a girl child is celebrated and elaborated on the measures taken by the government to make the lives of women easier.
Speaking about farmer welfare, the Prime Minister informed that the annual agricultural budget was increased from Rs 25,000 crores during previous governments to Rs 1.25 lakh crores now. He mentioned disbursing Rs 2,80,000 crores to farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rs 1,50,000 crores under PM Fasal Bima Yojna at a premium of Rs 30,000, formation of a dedicated Ministry for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry and PM Kisan Credit Cards for fishermen and cattlemen. He also mentioned 50 crore vaccinations for foot and mouth disease to save animal lives.
Throwing light on the opportunities created for the youth of India, the Prime Minister spoke about the advent of the startup age, unicorns, the emergence of digital creators and the Gift economy. PM Modi underlined that today, India is the leading digital economy of the world and it will create numerous new opportunities for India’s youth. He also touched upon mobile manufacturing in India and the availability of cheap data. He also acknowledged the growth in India’s tourism sector and aviation sector. PM Modi stressed the government’s approach to providing employment opportunities and social security to the youth of India.
Prime Minister Modi informed the House that the infrastructure budget of the country has increased from 12 lakh crore in the last 10 years before 2014 to Rs 44 lakh crores in the last 10 years. He also mentioned encouraging India’s youth towards making the country a research and innovation hub of the world by developing proper systems and economic policies. Highlighting the government’s efforts to make the nation Atmanirbhar in the energy sector, the Prime Minister touched upon India taking the lead in investments in the green hydrogen and semiconductors sectors.
The Prime Minister also touched upon price rise and recalled the rate of inflation at 30 percent in 1974. He praised the government of today for checking price rise in the country amid two wars and the coronavirus pandemic. PM Modi recalled the times when discussions in the House revolved around scams in the country. He mentioned a two-fold increase in cases under PMLA since previous governments and the seizure by the Enforcement Directorate increasing from Rs 5,000 crores to 1 lakh crores. “All seized funds were used for the welfare of the poor”, he added, informing about disbursing more than Rs 30 lakh crore via Direct Benefit Transfer.
The Prime Minister pledged to fight corruption to the very end and said, “Those who looted the nation will have to pay back.” Praising the efforts of the government to maintain peace and tranquility in the nation, the Prime Minister reiterated that the world is obligated to follow India’s policy of zero tolerance for terrorism. He expressed pride and faith in the capabilities of India’s defence forces while condemning the ideology of separatism. He also lauded the developments taking place in Jammu and Kashmir.
Prime Minister Modi urged the Members of the House to come forward shoulder to shoulder for the development of the nation. “I ask for your support in the development of Maa Bharti and its 140 crore citizens”, he concluded.
