Freedom must lead to good governance: PM

Giving a clarion call to “reform, perform and transform”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third Independence Day address, marking the 70th Independence Day, said that the government has to be sensitive, responsible, accountable, transparent and efficient to complete the journey from “swarajya (self-governance)” to “suraj (good governance)”.

He announced a 20 per cent hike in the pension for freedom fighters and said that museums would be built in several states to glorify the role of “lesser-known” people from tribal communities who contributed to the freedom struggle.

Coming up with innovative campaigns has been Mr Modi’s forte during Independence Day speeches. While in his first ever address two years back, Mr Modi had given a call for Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, in his second Independence Day speech last year, he had announced the ‘Start-Up India Stand-Up India’ campaign.

Addressing the nation from the Red Fort, the Prime Minister said, “The government is taking steps to increase the pension for freedom fighters by 20 per cent. So those who are receiving Rs 25,000 will now get Rs 30,000. This is a small act of reverence on my part.”

The Prime Minister said that the role of some people in the freedom struggle is discussed “more than needed,” while the contribution of tribals has not been highlighted as much.

Expressing concern over hardships faced by poor families in cases of medical emergencies, he said, “If a poor person wants healthcare services, then medical costs of up to Rs 1 lakh a year will be borne by the government.”

Hitting out at the previous UPA government, Mr Modi said his government is “surrounded by expectations as against the previous regime which was surrounded by allegations.”

He stressed on delivery and implementation of programmes, saying mere announcements or budgetary allocations no longer satisfy people. Listing an example of “increased efficiency” under his government, Mr Modi said that the process of issuing passports, which used to take 4 to 6 months, now takes only a couple of weeks and the need of recommendations has been done away with.

“In 2015-16 alone, we issued 1.75 crore passports,” the Prime Minister claimed.

Speaking about how his government changed the way the healthcare services are delivered, Mr Modi said that earlier people used to wait for days before their cases could be taken up in big hospitals like AIIMS.

“But now the entire process has become smooth and easy with the introduction of online registration. The facility is available in 40 leading hospitals,” he said.

Referring to tax reforms, Mr Modi said, “The middle class probably fears income tax officials more than police. My government would change this situation. There was a time when a person would even pay a bit extra tax to avoid any inconvenience and the process of claiming the refund was cumbersome. Now, one can claim returns online and it takes only a week or two,” he said.

He also made a mention of transparent processes adopted by his government for granting scholarship to various sections.

“By making everything online, we have ensured that the deserving people get their due,” he said. He also added that “with clean intentions and clear policies, the government was focusing on delivering the benefits to the last man.”

“We have preferred substance over symbolism, integrated approach over isolated approach and empowerment above entitlement,” he said.

The NDA government has tried to complete projects which were initiated during the tenure of the previous government. He said projects worth crores of rupees, which could not be completed in the past, have been taken up for delivery.