Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged Indians to celebrate August 15 this year as ‘Sankalp Parva’ or Day of Resolve to do something constructive for the country, with a deadline of August 2022 as the time of ‘Siddhi’ or attainment of that ideal.
Month of revolutions
In his monthly radio broadcast, Mann ki Baat, Mr. Modi termed August the “month of revolutions”, given its association with important events in India’s struggle for independence.
“If 1.25 billion Indians commemorate August Kranti Day of August 9, and each person resolves on August 15, that he or she will do for the country this much as an individual, as a citizen, this much as a family, this much as a society, this much as a village, this much as a city, this much as a government department, and this much as the government, [then] just as the five years from 1942 to 1947 were decisive for the country’s Independence, these five years from 2017 to 2022 can and must play a decisive role for the future of India,” Mr. Modi said.
Pointing out that five years from now, India will celebrate 75 years of Independence, the Prime Minister said, “We must make 2017 our Year of Resolve. In this month of August, we have to come together and resolve: Filth - Quit India; Poverty – Quit India; Corruption – Quit India; Terrorism – Quit India; Casteism – Quit India; Communalism – Quit India. The need for today is not ‘Do or Die’, instead it is to resolve, to come together.” Referring to the floods in various parts of the country, Mr. Modi said the situation in flood-affected States, including Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan and West Bengal, was being monitored and several agencies like the Army, the IAF, the National Disaster Response Force and paramilitary forces were engaged in rescue and relief operations.
“To deal with the flood situation, a 24x7 control room is working with the helpline number 1078,” Mr. Modi said. He added that crop insurance companies had been asked to be proactive so that claim settlements could be done at the earliest.
GST as transformation
Speaking at length about the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, Mr. Modi said it has had a transformative effect not just on the economy but on levels of trust in transactions.
“The biggest thing is that the trust of customers in traders has started going up,” Prime Minister Modi said.