Kovind said festivities on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day will not take place as usual. “The reason for this is obvious. The whole world is grappling with a deadly virus that has caused massive damage to life and hindered all kinds of activities,” he said.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday addressed the nation on the eve of the 74th Independence Day, speaking about the coronavirus pandemic which has upended lives of people around the world. He also expressed gratitude to the health warriors who have been at the forefront of fighting the battle.
“The nation is indebted to all the doctors, nurses and other health workers who have been frontline warriors in this fight against the coronavirus,” he said. “These are the ideal service-warriors of our nation. The appreciation of these corona warriors is less. All these warriors rise above the limits of their duty, save lives and ensure availability of essential services.”
Kovind said festivities on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day will not take place as usual. “The reason for this is obvious. The whole world is grappling with a deadly virus that has caused massive damage to life and hindered all kinds of activities,” he said.
“We have control over the magnitude of the global epidemic and a very large number Or has succeeded in protecting people’s lives,” he added.
“On the strength of these extraordinary efforts, in our vast country with densely populated and diverse circumstances, this challenge is being faced. State governments acted according to local circumstances. The public gave full support,” he said.
“We are committed to helping our people in trouble anywhere in the world, more than a million Indians have been brought back home by the government, under the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’,” he said, about the government’s efforts in dealing with the pandemic.
“The government has given livelihood to crores of people by launching the ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana’, so as to reduce the pain of losing jobs, moving from one place to another and disrupting life due to the epidemic,” he said. “”No family has to starve, for this, free food grains are being given to the needy people. Every month, around 80 crore people are being guaranteed ration through this campaign.”
Kovind said, “We are fortunate that Mahatma Gandhi was the guide of our freedom movement. The coordination between a saint and a politician reflected in his personality was possible only in the soil of India.”
“On this occasion, we remember with gratitude the sacrifices of our freedom fighters. Due to their sacrifice, all of us are residents of a free country today,” he said.
Source: News18
