On I-Day, this year there will be a difference in PM’s address to the nation from the Red Fort. Doordarshan, the official broadcaster of the Independence Day function, will broadcast a 3-minute profile of Modi, before he addresses the nation. His short profile will be aired by all 15 regional channels of Doordarshan followed by the National Song “Vande Mataram” and then his speech will begin.
The PM’s speech will be followed by march past by divisions of the Indian Army and paramilitary forces, and parades and pageants showcasing events from struggle for independence as well as cultural traditions of the country. Similar events will take place throughout the country and abroad by the Indian Diaspora.
The PM who has commissioned “My gov” a new portal to get the views of citizens for good governance is expected to announce a program of financial inclusion by ensuring a bank account in every household. Besides the announcement of a scheme for rural housing and a full statehood to Delhi is on cards.
Modi made a good beginning by inviting heads of the neighbouring states for his swearing ceremony followed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Bangladesh, Myanmar and his recent visit to Nepal. His proposed visit to USA next month is expected to pave the way for putting the best foot forward in international relations. It is important to take a stock of several issues related to this largest democracy in the world.
Indo-Pak: The issue of cross border militancy remains unresolved as evident from the sporadic attacks on our posts by Pakistani army. This is a clear indication that bilateral peace talks between the two countries are yet to materialise.
Indo-China: The relation between India and China is at a new historical starting point. Vice-President Hamid Ansari recently visited China to attend events to mark the 60th anniversary of Panchsheel agreement. He also held bilateral talks with his counterpart Li Yuanchao. But the flare-ups along the 4,057km-long disputed Indo-China border have not been totally stopped. On July 25 China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel entered Ladakh through the Charding Nilu Nullah Junction in the Demchok sector along the LAC claiming it to be Chinese Territory. The issue was later resolved through a flag meeting.
All said and done India should become self-reliant with every reform travelling from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Then only we can boast of unity in diversity and have an all round progress.
Economy: On economic front, the Government has already announced 49 per cent FDI in defence, realty, insurance sector and increase in allocation for the National Housing Bank to improve housing stock and allocation of Rs 10,000 crore to improve IT network to boost the battered Indian economy.
While the Indian rupee at present hovering around 62 in terms of US dollar is expected to be more stable, the growth rate is expected to be in the range of 5.4 to 5.9 per cent. Besides the RBI is in the process of bringing down CPI inflation to 8 percent by January 2015.
Space research: In space research, India has continued to make progress as evident from the recent launch of five satellites (PSLV-C23) from four countries from the spaceport of Sriharikota in presence of the PM. The appeal made by PM on the occasion to scientists of ISRO to develop a satellite for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations and expand the footprint of its navigation systems to all of South Asia, is of far reaching consequences.
Our maiden inter-planetary mission to Mars “Mangalyaan” is on course and the orbiter would reach the Martian orbit on September 24. Another major project in the coming months would be the experimental mission of GSLV-MARK 3 with the crew module for country’s Human space flight mission
INS Vikramaditya, India’s largest warship to date has already been commissioned. Vikramaditya is a Kiev class aircraft carrier that was originally built and operated by the Soviet Union. This warship along with the INS Arihant – India’s first nuclear powered submarine – represents a major increase in the capacity of the Indian Navy to project power in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
