The government has implemented wide-ranging reforms not to satisfy experts or intellectual debate clubs, but with a 'Nation First' pledge to take the country forward, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his Independence Day speech today.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort, he said previous governments had a "chalta hai" -- meaning lackadaisical -- approach to reforms and development. "There was an environment of status quo. We had to break that mindset. The common man wanted change, but his dreams were not appreciated and he kept waiting for reforms. We implemented big reforms, for the poor, the middle class, deprived sections of the society and youth," the Prime Minister said, in his eleventh consecutive speech on the Independence Day, months after he started his third term as Prime Minister.
The government's focus on reforms, the Prime Minister said, is not for pink paper editorials, but to make the country strong. "I want to assure the countrymen that our commitment to reforms is not for pink paper editorials, it is to make the country strong. Our focus on change is not for debate clubs, intellectual groups or experts. Our pledge is Nation First," he said.
The Prime Minister started his address by expressing condolences to families that have lost their loved ones in natural calamities, including the recent Wayanad landslide. "Natural disasters have heightened our concern over the past few years. I express my sympathies to the affected families and assure them that the country stands with them," the Prime Minister said.
Underlining the government's Viksit Bharat pitch, he said that if the country could break free from the chains of slavery when its population was 40 crore, then 140 crore people can also make it a developed nation. "If the commitment to die for the country can get us freedom, the commitment to live for it can make a prosperous nation," he said, adding that Viksit Bharat is not just a slogan for his government but an area where hard work is being done to achieve goals.
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