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The collective strength of India’s young will propel the development of the country in the future, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday as he drew parallels with the Dandi March, and hailed the sacrifice of freedom fighters to mark the culmination of a two-year celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, or 75 years of Independence.
At a ceremony on Delhi’s Kartavya Path, Modi presided over the ending of the Meri Maati Mera Desh (my country, my soil) Abhiyan, which saw hundreds of thousands of people collect soil from various parts of the country, upload their selfies and take pledges for national development, and presented a road map for a developed India driven by its young people.
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In an event rich with symbolism, Modi said just as the Dandi March — the salt satyagraha helmed by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 — saw the participation of every Indian, the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav created a new record of people’s participation that will lay the foundation for a developed India.
“The Dandi March reignited the flame of Independence while Amrit Kaal is turning out to be the resolution of the 75-year-old journey of India’s development journey,” Modi said, referring to the 24-year-long period till 2047, the centenary of India’s independence.
During the nearly 30-minute-long ceremony, Modi said that the Meri Maati Mera Desh Abhiyan was an example of how the young could organise and achieve any goal. He also launched the Mera Yuva Bharat portal, which he said would be critical in nation building.
Modi said that the most positive impact of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was on the young. Pointing out that the current generation had not experienced slavery and that he was the first PM born in free India, Modi said the Mahotsav reminded people that there was not a single moment during foreign rule without movements for freedom, and that no section or region was untouched by these movements.
“Amrit Mahotsav has, in a way, added the missing pages of history for future generations… the people of India made it a people’s movement,” he said, hailing the success of the Har Ghar Tiranga programme and saying that a district-wise database of freedom fighters was created.
As part of the Meri Mati Mera Desh campaign, 20,000 volunteers from 7,000 blocks brought the soil and rice collected from 600,000 villages. Government data showed 230,000 shilaphalakams were built in 36 states and Union territories, nearly 40 million panch pran — the goal of a developed India, to remove the mentality of slavery, to be proud of our traditions, to dedicate whole life for unity and integrity, and to awaken a sense of duty in the mind of every citizen — pledge selfies were uploaded; 200,000-plus “veeron ka vandan” programmes were held nationwide; and 23.6 million indigenous saplings were planted. The Amrit Vatika will be built near the National War Memorial with the soil collected.
In his speech, Modi highlighted a bouquet of achievements by India during the Mahotsav period — joining the club of the top five global economies, touching down on the lunar surface in a historic mission, organising a successful G20 summit, bagging more than 100 medals at the Asian Games for the first time, opening the new Parliament building, and passing the women’s reservation bill, among them.
“During the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the country completed the journey from Rajpath to Kartavya Path. We also removed many symbols of slavery,” he said, mentioning Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue at India Gate, the navy’s new insignia, and new names for a clutch of islands.
Modi called “MY Bharat” a proclamation of youth power and said it will become a great medium to bring every young person on one platform and ensure greater participation towards nation-building and fill India with new energy. “The end of something always symbolizes the beginning of something new,” he said.
The portal is being established as an autonomous body to serve as a one-stop platform for the youth. According to the Union culture ministry, the portal will help set the focus of the government on youth development and make the young active drivers of development. The ministry said the body will inspire young people to become community, change, agents and nation builders, allowing them to act as a bridge between the government and the citizens.
The PM referred to the concluding ceremony as a mahayagna on the occasion of Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary and explained why soil was used as an element for the culmination of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
“India’s soil has consciousness. It has a life form that has prevented the downfall of civilisation…The soil of India creates an affinity for the soul towards spirituality”, he said as he highlighted sagas of valour and touched upon the contributions of Bhagat Singh.
Underlining the attachment that every citizen feels with the soil, he said, “What is life if it is not repaying the debts of the soil of India.”
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Modi repeatedly invoked the imagery of duty and nation building. He said soil from the thousands of pots arrived in Delhi and will remind everyone of the sentiment of kartavya or duty, and inspire everyone to accomplish the resolve of a developed India, he said.
The PM said the Amrit Vatika will be established with saplings from all over the country and teach the coming generation about “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”. He said India’s independence was the fulfilment of the common resolutions of every citizen and urged people to protect it with unity.
“We will have to fulfil the resolve we took, the promises we made to the coming generation…The contribution of every Indian is important to achieve the goal of being a developed country. Come, let us start a new journey of the Amrit Kaal of Viksit Bharat through Amrit Mahotsav,” he said.
Union home minister Amit Shah and ministers Singh Thakur, Meenakashi Lekhi and G Kishan Reddy were present, among others. The PM also presented the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Awards to Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan for their performance , and to the ministry of external affairs, ministry of defence, and ministry of railways and ministry of education.
Amrit Mahotsav tipping point for new India: Modi – Hindustan Times
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