Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday said India has grown into one of the largest economies in the world in the 80 years since Independence, crediting the strong leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the country’s progress.
Addressing the state-level Independence Day celebrations at Mahatma Gandhi Marg in Bhubaneswar, Majhi said the past year was eventful with many challenges at home and abroad, but “the Prime Minister took the right decision at the right time and strengthened the financial position of the country.”
“Today our country has crossed 79 years of independence and reached 80 years. In these 80 years, India has progressed in its development journey and today it has become one of the largest economies in the world,” the Chief Minister said.
He noted that development was the biggest challenge in the post-independence period and though all governments contributed, “the pace of development could not be as expected in the 68 years of independence.” “But after Prime Minister Modiji took over the governance of the country, the construction of new India started in earnest,” Majhi added.
He said the journey began with the slogan of ‘Swachh Bharat’ in the 2014 Independence Day address and in the last twelve years, “one visionary decision after another” has established India as a leading country socially, economically and politically.
Highlighting welfare measures, the CM said cooking gas is no longer a luxury and the poor now have bank accounts with direct benefit transfers. “Access to medical care in private hospitals is no longer a dream, it has become a reality today,” he said.On national security, Majhi said the country is safe under PM Modi’s leadership.
“Balakote air strike and ‘Operation Sindoor’ are living proof of this. This was possible due to self-reliance in defence,” he said. He cited weapons like Agni, BrahMos, Akash and drones being manufactured in India as having “instilled fear in the minds of external enemies.” He also lauded young scientists for successfully launching a rocket in their first attempt.
The Chief Minister called the youth the “main warriors” in achieving the goal of a developed India.He also highlighted the government’s success against Left Wing Extremism. “A notable achievement was the end of the Red Terror. In less than twelve years, almost a quarter of the country’s districts were gripped by Naxal and Maoist violence.
But due to the right guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and the able management of Union Home Minister Amit Shahji, Red Terror has become history,” Majhi said. “Our state Odisha has been a big sharer of this initiative. Almost half of the region of our state was affected by this Red Terror.
After it was completed on March 31, the development work that was stopped in those districts has been resumed,” he added. The Chief Minister concluded that today’s India is “full of self-confidence, self-reliance and self-respect.”
