Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the nation on the occasion of 71st Independence Day at the flag hoisting ceremony at Red Fort.
Addressing the nation for the fourth time since he took office in 2014, the prime minister called upon the citizens to perform their duties towards the nation and co-operate to work towards a common goal of peace, harmony and development in the country.
Here are the top quotes from his speech, which lasted less than an hour.
>> Many parts of the country faced natural calamities recently; children died in a hospital; the entire nation is with them
>> Sympathies of 125 crore people are with victims of these tragedies; Government will extend all possible help
>> We have to take the country ahead with the determination of creating a ‘New India’
>> We might have grown up in despair but now we have to move ahead with confidence; there is no room for ‘chalta hai’ attitude
>> National security is our priority; we are capable of defending our country in all spheres
>> Rs 800 cr benami property seized by the government
>> GST rollout was a successful, technology miracle
>> GST has shown the spirit of cooperative federalism
>> About nine crore farmers have got soil health cards and more than 2.5 crore poor women have got LPG gas connections
>> We are committed to restoring Kashmir’s status of ‘heaven on earth’
>> Kashmir problem cannot be resolved by bullets or abuses but by embracing people of Kashmir
>> There is no question of being soft on terrorism or against terrorists
>> Demonetisation has helped check corruption
>> India achieved record crop production despite natural calamities; production of pulses saw a record, government bought 16 lakh ton
>> By 2019, 99 irrigation schemes will be completed
>> Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana has helped crores of youth become self-reliant
>> Violence in the name of faith is not acceptable, casteism and communalism as poison
>> An atmosphere has been created against ‘triple talaq’
>> Rs 1.25 lakh crore of blackmoney has been detected
>> Rs 3 lakh cr has come to banking system after note ban; more than Rs 1.75 lakh cr under scrutiny; Rs 2 lakh cr blackmoney has reached banks
>> Demonetisation has helped bring blackmoney into formal economy
>> After note ban, 3 lakh shell companies were detected; 1.75 lakh shell companies have been shut
>> Removal of check posts after implementation of GST has cut time for transporting goods by 30 per cent
>> As a result of fight against blackmoney, the number of those who filed income tax this year was 56 lakh, more than double the number last year
