President address to the nation on the eve of 77th I-day: Call to maintain spirit of harmony

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said that despite having diverse identities all Indians are equal citizens with equal opportunities, rights and duties and urged the people to move forward with the spirit of harmony and brotherhood.

In her address to the nation on the eve of 77th Independence Day, the President said each Indian has many identities but apart from caste, creed, language, region, family and profession, “there is one identity” that is above all as the “citizen of India”.

“Each one of us is an equal citizen; each one of us has an equal opportunity, equal rights and equal duties in this land,” she said.

“But it was not always so. India is the mother of democracy and since ancient times we had democratic institutions functioning at the grassroots. But long years of colonial rule wiped them out. On 15th August 1947, the nation woke up to a new dawn.

We not only won freedom from foreign rule but also the freedom to rewrite our destiny,” she said.

Underlining that the Constitution is the country’s guiding document, Murmu said its Preamble contains the ideals of the freedom struggle. “Let us move forward with the spirit of harmony and brotherhood to realise the dreams of our nation-builders,” she said.

Recalling the role of women freedom fighters Matangini Hazra, Kanaklata Baruah, Kasturba Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu, Ammu Swaminathan, Rama Devi, Aruna Asaf-Ali and Sucheta Kriplani, the President said women are contributing extensively in every field of development and service to the country and are enhancing the nation’s pride. “Today our women have made their special place in many such fields in which their participation was unimaginable a few decades ago,” she said.

Murmu said the economic empowerment of women is being given special focus in the country. “Economic empowerment strengthens the position of women in the family and society. I urge all fellow citizens to give priority to women empowerment. “I would like our sisters and daughters to overcome challenges with courage and move ahead in life. Development of women was among the ideals of our freedom struggle,” she said.

The President also called for urgent attention of scientists and policymakers towards climate change and global warming which is resulting in frequent floods of drought situations, saying the “culture of greed” is taking the “world away from nature”.

Murmu highlighted India’s presidency at the G-20 summit this year and said the grouping represents two-thirds of the world and India can nudge decision-making in trade and finance towards equitable progress.

“Beyond trade and finance, matters of human development too are on the agenda. There are many global issues that concern all humanity and are not limited by geographical boundaries.

“I am confident that with India’s proven leadership in dealing with global issues, member nations will be able to advance effective action on these fronts,” the President said.