'Atmanirbhar Bharat' has become mantra for everyone: PM Modi
New Delhi: Delivering his seventh straight Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the call for "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) has captured people's imagination and become a "mantra" for everyone, as he pushed for raising India's share in global economy.
For how long India will keep exporting raw materials and import finished products, Modi said in his address to the nation on the occasion of India's 74th Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, and asked citizens to prepare themselves for a self-reliant India.
He also listed out a number of reform measures undertaken by his government which has resulted in a record Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country last year.
The prime minister began his address by paying tributes to freedom fighters and security forces while also remembering Aurobindo Ghose, a freedom fighter and spiritual philosopher whose birth anniversary falls today.
Hailing 'corona warriors', including doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and sanitation workers who have been continuously fighting the coronavirus pandemic, he said, the country will achieve victory over coronavirus with the resolve of its over 130 crore citizens.
In the midst of coronavirus pandemic, Indians resolve to become self-reliant, the prime minister said, adding this is not a word but mantra for all people.
Speaking of self-reliant India, he said many concerns are raised about it and acknowledged challenges ahead but asserted that there are "crores of solutions" offered by the country's citizens to "lakhs of challenges".
Vocal for local should be the mantra of the free India, he said.
He said his government has freed farmers of their contraints, and they can now trade their products freely at their terms.
India's freedom struggle, he said, became a challenge to forces of expansionism while attempts were made for hundreds of years by various rulers to root out India's culture and traditions.
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‘No special “good news”; Delhi visits routine, says D.K. Suresh
Bengaluru: Bamul President D.K. Suresh on Wednesday said there was nothing unusual about his recent visits to Delhi and dismissed speculation about any “good news” linked to the occasion.
Speaking to reporters at the Bengaluru Milk Union Limited (Bamul) office, Suresh said, “I am not aware of any ‘good news’. There is always some good news or the other. Sometimes we travel for party work, sometimes for personal reasons, and at times for government-related matters. There is nothing special about it.”
Responding to a question on whether there would be any announcement on the occasion of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s birthday, Suresh said Shivakumar had already appealed to supporters not to put up flex boards or banners.
“He has asked people not to put up flex or banners due to environmental concerns. Everyone should follow this,” he said.
On being asked about discussions on power-sharing within the party, Suresh said it was not the time for such talks and that the matter had been left to the party high command.
“We have said we will abide by whatever the high command decides,” he said.
Replying to a question on pressure from legislators, Suresh acknowledged that there was demand for ministerial posts.
“There is pressure to become ministers,” he said.
On his recent visit to Delhi along with D.K. Shivakumar, Suresh said such trips were frequent.
“We travel to Delhi regularly. If it was a rare visit, you could ask. We go at least twice a month,” he said.
