PRESIDENT Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said India is well on the way to becoming a self-reliant nation and moving ahead with great confidence to be a developed economy by 2047. In her address to the nation on the eve of the 79th Independence Day, Murmu said the country’s economy is in the pink of health with inflation under control, and exports rising. “After the long years of foreign rule, India was in utter poverty at the time of Independence. But in the 78 years since then, we have made extraordinary progress in all fields. India is well on the way to becoming a self-reliant nation and is moving ahead with great confidence,” the President said. In the economic field, she said India’s achievements are more noticeable with GDP growing at 6.5 per cent in the last fiscal, making the country the fastest growing among the major economies in the world.

 

“The all-round economic growth complemented by social sector initiatives has placed India well on the path of becoming a developed nation by 2047. With the nation marching ahead during the Amrit Kaal, I see all of us contributing to the best of our ability,” she said. Stressing that business leaders, small and medium industries and traders have always exhibited a “can-do spirit”, she said, “what was needed was removing the bottleneck in the path of wealth creation. This is so visible when it comes to infrastructure development over the past decade”. She highlighted the expansion of the national highway network, and the introduction of new types of trains and coaches by the Indian railways. In particular, she said the inauguration of the rail link in the Kashmir Valley was a major accomplishment which will boost trade and tourism and open new economic policies. This engineering marvel in Kashmir is a historic milestone for India. President lauded the nation’s decisive response to Pahalgham terrorist attack in Kashmir, highlighting the success of Operation Sindoor and emphasising the country’s unity and growing self-reliance in the defence sector. She condemned the “cowardly and utterly inhuman” killing of innocent citizens on holiday, asserting that the Armed Forces had demonstrated “strategic clarity and technical capability” by destroying terrorist infrastructure across the border.

 

She described Operation Sindoor as a landmark event in the global fight against terrorism, noting that India’s Armed Forces “destroyed terrorist hubs across the border” with “steely resolve”. “I believe Operation Sindoor will go down in history as an example in humanity’s fight against terrorism,” she said. The President stressed that the nation’s unity was the most “befitting response” to those who sought to divide it. “...The world has taken note of India’s stance, that we will not be the aggressor, but we will not hesitate to retaliate in defence of our citizens,” she said. The President also held up Operation Sindoor as a testament to the success of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) mission in the defence sector. “The outcome has proved that we are on the right path. Our indigenous manufacturing has achieved the critical level that makes us self-sufficient in meeting many of our security requirements.

 

These are landmark achievements in India’s defence history since Independence,” she said. The President also spoke about the importance of sustained good governance and a “zero tolerance for corruption”. She invoked Mahatma Gandhi, quoting his statement “corruption and hypocrisy ought not to be inevitable products of democracy” and urged all citizens to “pledge to realise Gandhiji’s ideal and weed out corruption” from the nation. The President, while referring to the ‘National Handloom Day’ celebration last week, said the day commemorates the ‘Swadeshi Movement’ of 1905, which was later championed by Mahatma Gandhi to promote products made by Indian artisans. She said the spirit of Swadeshi continues to inspire national initiatives such as the ‘Make-in-India’ campaign and the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’. President Murmu also highlighted the nation’s focus on technological innovation, specifically mentioning artificial intelligence and pointed to the India-AI mission launched by the Government to bolster the country’s AI capabilities and create models tailored to India’s unique needs. Murmu said the Government has created the most conducive ecosystem for those with entrepreneurial aspirations. “Our youth have finally found the right environment for the realisation of their dreams.

 

The National Education Policy has brought in far-reaching changes, aligning learning with values and skills with tradition. Employment opportunities are booming. For those with entrepreneurial aspirations, the Government has created the most conducive ecosystem,” she said. The President noted that, fueled by young minds, the country’s space programme has witnessed unprecedented expansion. “I am sure that Shubhanshu Shukla’s space journey to the International Space Station has fired a whole generation to dream bigger. It will prove extremely helpful for India’s upcoming human space flight programme ‘Gaganyaan’. Brimming with new confidence, our youth are making a mark in sports and games. “Chess, for example, is now dominated by India’s youngsters like never before. We foresee transformative changes which will establish India as a global sporting power-house under the vision contained in the National Sports Policy 2025,” she said.