President urges people to vote during LS polls

Agencies
January 25, 2019

New Delhi, Jan 25: With Lok Sabha elections round the corner, President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday gave a clarion call to people to perform the "sacred act" of voting, emphasising this year's polls should be seen as a "once-in-a-century moment" that will shape the India of the remainder of the 21st century.

Observing that an election is not just a political exercise, Kovind said it is a collective call to wisdom and a collective call to action, adding the ideas and idealism of our democracy will come into force to elect the 17th Lok Sabha.

In his customary address to the nation on the eve of the 70th Republic Day, the President said development of the country cannot be completed without a salute to the "spirit of inclusiveness and pluralism which rests on a "tripod of diversity, democracy and development".

"This country belongs to each of us and to all of us – every group and every community, every region and every identity. It belongs to every citizen and every individual. India's pluralism is its greatest strength and its greatest example to the world.

"The 'Indian model' rests on a tripod of diversity, democracy and development. We cannot choose one above the other; we must have all three and we will have all three," he said in the address that was telecast and broadcast across the country.

Referring to the general elections that are due before June, the President said it will be the first when voters born in the 21st century will contribute to electing a new Lok Sabha.

The election represents the diverse and singular urges of the people and the Republic of India, he said.

"This makes the very act of voting a sacred act. Please perform this act. Who the voter chooses to vote for is up to him or her, I would only request all eligible voters to go out and vote.

"Our country is at a key juncture. In some respects this is as critical and formative a period as the late 1940s and early 1950s. Decisions and actions of today will shape the India of the remainder of the 21st century. As such, this is not just a once-in-a-generation moment – it is a once-in-a-century moment," he said.

The President said this election, in which the ideas and idealism of democracy will come into full force, is only a milestone in the journey towards fulfilling the aspirations of the people and building a developed India.

While appreciating the role of successive generations in nation building, the President reminded the people that "our voyage is far from complete."

"There are still waters to cover, still gaps to fill and still tears to wipe."

"We have to recalibrate our yardstick of achievement and success – from quantity to quality; from a literate society to a knowledge society; from a nation that has room for all segments and all communities to a family that invokes, encourages and celebrates the uniqueness and potential in each person – each daughter and each son," he said.

He said the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi of all people living in perfect harmony are a constant reminder while building the nation.

In an apparent reference to the 10 per cent quota for economically weaker sections in the general category, he said "the recent constitutional amendment to provide special facilities for talented children from poorer families is another step to an India of our dreams – and of Gandhiji's dreams."

The President also advocated the need for engaging in conversation with groups who have been historically disadvantaged.

"Partnerships are enhanced by open communication, honest conversation and unstinted compassion...This is also true with sections or groups that have been historically disadvantaged and whose grievances must continue to be heard and addressed. It is important to create avenues for such conversations, even if they are inconvenient.

"In a society experiencing rapid change, we must be prepared for such conversations. And similarly, we must be alive to the need for compassion – to those less privileged than us and to the differently-abled, for example," he said.

The President stressed that the vision of India's Republic was to reach democratic goals by democratic means, pluralistic goals by pluralistic means, enlightened goals by enlightened means, inclusive goals by inclusive means, compassionate goals by compassionate means – and constitutional goals by constitutional means.

"May those principles always illuminate our path! After all, 'We, the People …' gave ourselves this Constitution and 'We, the People …' are the custodians and upholders of its principles," he said.

He said the best indicator of social change in India is changing towards gender equity and towards providing equal opportunities, under conditions of equality, to every girl child and every woman.

"...Young women in our country are moving ahead in every field - from academics to the creative arts, from sports to the armed forces. There is no stopping and no hesitation in this process. It is the route to India’s future," he added.

Kovind said this year also marks 150th birthday anniversary of Gandhi ji which will be followed by the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution. "In his (Bhimrao Ambedkar), honour and in our Constitution's honour, the nation will celebrate Constitution Day this year in an appropriate manner," he said.

The President said the country was at the doorstep of eliminating extreme poverty for the first time in memory and several people friendly programmes including equitable healthcare have begun to be rolled out.

Road, water, rail and air connectivity has improved. "India has been united and integrated – now it is being networked," he said.

Comments

Wellwisher
 - 
Saturday, 26 Jan 2019

Happy Republic Day

 

Long Live India

 

No  doubt this time polling turnout wI'll come with new record.Peace lovIng patriot Indians will reject criminal force and their political leader's. 

 

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News Network
March 20,2020

New Delhi, Mar 20: The coronavirus pandemic will leave behind a global recession with small businesses, self-employed and daily wagers taking the worst hit, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said on thursday.

"The virus will eventually be conquered, but it will have left behind a global recession. The costs of that are incalculably high at this time. The most fearsome toll will be on small businesses, the self-employed & those whose lives depend on meagre daily wages," Mahindra said in a tweet.

Apart from the toll on lives, the legacy of Covid-19 may well be deaths due to stress, loss of livelihoods, a rise in homelessness and in extreme situations, civil unrest, he added.

"The only global experience that has lessons for us in the current situation is the last world war. In the aftermath of WW2, the US came up with the Marshall plan to revive Europe, effectively a giant fiscal pump-priming," Mahindra said.

In the US, the government dramatically dismantled regulations and opened up the economy to trade and these actions led to a boom-cycle that stretched to 1975, he added.

"This time, there will be no victors, only the vanquished. So every country will have to create its own post ‘virus war” marshall plan & take care of those in society who are hit the hardest. Perhaps we too can build the foundations of a sustained global growth cycle," Mahindra said.

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News Network
April 22,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 22: Eleven more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Kerala with totalpositive cases in the State touching 437on Wednesday.

Two house surgeonsof the Kozhikode Medical college are among those who have tested positive for the virus.

The two had travelled outside the state,Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters.

Kannur reported seven cases, Kozhikode two, while one case each was reported from the districts of Kottayam and Malappuram.

Only one person tested negative.

The state has 127 active cases and 29,000 people are under observation, including 346 in hospitals.

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News Network
February 3,2020

Mumbai, Feb 3: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, whose party severed ties with the BJP after the state elections, on Monday said that if somebody breaks a promise, "pain and anger is obvious".

"No, I did not get any shock," Thackeray said in an interview with Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana while talking about forming an alliance with NCP and Congress, and becoming the Maharashtra Chief Minister.

"I am a son of Shiv Sena Pramukh (Balasaheb Thackeray), several people tried to give a shock to me but they didn't succeed. This is a field where you have to accept in the beginning that there will be a bit pushing and pulling," Thackeray said.

He added that accepting the Chief Minister's post was not a shock for him and neither was it his "dream at any point of time".

"But I can say one thing for sure that I had decided to go to any level to fulfil the promise which I made to Balasaheb Thackeray. I want to further clear it that me becoming Chief Minister is not the fulfilling of the promise made to Shiv Sena Pramukh but it's just a step towards that. I will fulfil every promise which I made to my father," Uddhav Thackeray said.

"There are several types of shock. Did people like it or not, it is the important part. I have spoken on this issue (alliance with NCP and Congress) several times and even people have understood this. Making promises and keeping them are two different things. If someone breaks a promise, pain and anger is obvious," he added.

The Chief Minister said that he does not know if BJP "has come out their shock till now or not."

"But I have to say if they had kept their promise what would have happened, what a big deal had I asked for? Did I ask for stars and moon? I only asked for what was decided before Lok Sabha polls, when we decided seat distribution," he said.

He further said, "Maharashtra and the country are watching (who betrayed/shocked whom), I don't need to say much on this."

Soon after the Assembly election results, Shiv Sena demanded rotation of the chief minister's post and equal power-sharing in the state government, which was rejected by then ally BJP. The weeks of political stalemate led to the imposition of President's rule on November 13.

Firm on its demands, Sena, the second-largest party in the state, did not hesitate to cobble up with the ideological opponents -- NCP and Congress -- and was given the chief minister's post.

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