President Ram Nath Kovind addresses nation on the eve of Republic Day: Full text

President Ram Nath Kovind greeted the nation on the eve of the 72nd Republic Day. In his address Monday evening, President Kovind commended farmers, soldiers, and scientists, and said they deserve special appreciation. He thanked doctors, scientists, and people from other walks of life who contributed to containing the coronavirus. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Our scientists, along with doctors, administrators & people from other walks of life, have made major contribution in containing the virus & keeping the fatality rate lower in our country, compared to that in developed countries.
• Our farmers, soldiers and scientists deserve special appreciation and a grateful nation greets them on this auspicious occasion of Republic Day.
• By conducting not only free & fair but also safe elections in Bihar which has high population density & Jammu & Kashmir & Ladakh with difficulties of access & other challenges, our democracy & Election Commission have accomplished remarkable feats.
• I am sure that with a view to reducing the risk of such pandemics, the issue of climate change will be accorded top priority at the global level.
• Economic reforms continue apace & supplemented by long-pending reforms in areas of labour & agriculture through legislation. Path to reform at initial stages may cause misapprehensions. However, it’s beyond doubt that govt remains singularly devoted to farmers’ welfare.
• The administration and health services are working with full readiness to make this exercise (vaccination) a success. I urge upon countrymen to utilise this lifeline & get vaccinated as per guidelines. Your health opens the way for your advancement.
• Past year was a time of adversity, & it came from many fronts. We faced an expansionist move on our borders, but our valiant soldiers foiled it. To achieve this objective, 20 of them had to lay down their lives. The nation shall remain grateful to those brave soldiers.
• Though we reiterate our commitment to peace, our defence forces – Army, Air Force & Navy – are adequately mobilised in a well-coordinated move to thwart any attempt to undermine our security. Our national interest will be protected at all costs.
• The latest unprecedented collection of GST and India’s emergence as a most favoured destination for the foreign investment are indicative of our faster economic recovery.
• The pandemic threatened to derail the young generation’s learning process, but institutions and teachers quickly adopted new technology and ensured that there was no break in education.
• From the freezing cold at Siachen and Galwan valley in Ladakh with temperatures as low as minus 50 to 60 °C to the scorching heat in Jaisalmer with temperatures as high as 50 °C – on land, in the skies and at the vast coastal areas – our warriors are vigilant every moment.
• Despite adversities of nature, numerous other challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic, our farmers sustained the agricultural production. A grateful nation is fully committed to the welfare of our farmers.
• Justice, Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity are perennial principles of our philosophy of life. They come to us from the dawn of this civilisation through an unbroken chain. It is, of course, the task of every generation to seek out the meaning of these values for its times. As the freedom fighters did in their day, so should we in our time. These key principles should light our path to development.
• A galaxy of great leaders and thinkers like Bal Gangadhar ‘Tilak’, Lala Lajpat Rai, Mahatma Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose inspired our freedom struggle. They had diverse dreams of a magnificent future of the motherland, but common to their aspirations were these values: Justice, Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.
• These values – Justice, Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity – outlined in the Preamble of our Constitution are sacred to all of us. Its abiding adherence is meant not only for those who are mandated to govern but for the people at large.

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