Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday highlighted the multiple crises India faced over the past decade, from the Covid-19 pandemic and wars to fears over shortages of essential supplies, saying the country overcame them through careful planning and preparation.
Track PM Modi Red Fort address LIVE . As countries began recovering from Covid-19, wars in Ukraine and West Asia brought fresh challenges, he said.
Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on Independence Day, Modi said the pandemic had plunged the world into uncertainty and placed systems under severe strain.
Earlier reporting noted: PM Modi delivers 13th Independence day speech as India marks 79 years of freedom Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation after hoisting the national flag at the Red Fort in Delhi on the 80th Independence Day.
Modi said the government’s approach during the pandemic was guided by the principle of “Nagrik Devo Bhava”, under which citizens were treated as the highest priority. “The preparations India had made, the steps it had taken one after another – although we had not anticipated that such a crisis would come – all these preparations proved useful when the crisis arrived,” he said. Earlier reporting noted: He also said that the national song Vande Mataram, which was rendered for the first time during Independence Day celebrations, is resonating in every heart.
Earlier reporting noted: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on 80th Independence Day on Saturday and paid tributes to freedom fighters.
“And who knows what all the so-called forecasters had predicted. The Prime Minister said India’s response to these crises showed that the preparations and policies put in place over the past 10-12 years had strengthened the country’s ability to deal with major disruptions.
Modi also criticised those who, according to him, spread alarming predictions and rumours during times of crisis. Some people seemed to take pleasure in frightening Indians and keeping them immersed in fear and anxiety,” he said. “But the country has seen that the well-thought-out plans of the past 10–12 years are bearing fruit,” he said.
