The Union government does not discriminate on the basis of faith, gender, caste, creed, or language, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said. “We are guided by the desire to empower 130 crore Indians and our guiding light is the Constitution of India. We will produce locally and buy local products. This will light the lamp of prosperity in many homes.”
Mr. Modi was inaugurating the 90th birthday celebrations of Joseph Mar Thoma, Mar Thoma Metropolitan, at the Alexander Mar Thoma auditorium in Thiruvalla through a videoconference from Delhi on Saturday.
On the fight against COVID-19, India, with a growing recovery rate, was placed much better than many countries, because of the nationwide lockdown, the subsequent government initiatives, and the people-driven fight against the pandemic. Deaths due to SARS-CoV-2 in India was below 12 per million compared to 574 per million in Italy.
The figures in the U.S., the U.K., Spain, and France too were higher than those in India, he added. The Prime Minister said the Centre had taken various decisions based on feedback from people on the ground and not from the comfortable offices in New Delhi. It was this spirit that ensured access to a bank account for every Indian. “Now, over eight million people have access to smoke-free kitchens, over 1.5 crore houses have been constructed for the homeless poor and India is home to the largest health-care scheme in the world, Ayushman Bharat,” he said.
For society
Mr. Modi said Joseph Mar Thoma had devoted his life for the betterment of society and had been involved in women empowerment and removal of poverty. “India has always been open to spiritual influences from many sources. The Mar Thoma Church is closely linked to the noble ideals of St. Thomas, the apostle of Jesus Christ,” he said. The Church, which had played a role in India’s freedom struggle, had strived for national integration and had opposed the Emergency. “The Holy Bible talks extensively about togetherness,” the Prime Minister said and urged the Church to work for the advancement of the country.
Cardinal Baselius Cleemis Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Church; Bishop Thomas K. Oommen of the Church of South India; Youhanon Mar Chrysostomos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church; Joseph Mar Gregorios, trustee of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church; and Akkeeramon Kalidasan Bhattathirippad, Tantri of Sreevallaba Temple spoke.