Finance
Today on15th August 2024, Narendra Modi became the third Prime Minister to deliver his 11th consecutive Independence Day address from the ramparts of the famed Red Fort.
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister, set the record by hoisting the flag 17 times between 1947 and 1964.
Nehru is succeeded by Indira Gandhi, who raised the national flag 16 times, one short of her father’s record.
However, Indira Gandhi did not set this record in consecutive terms. She performed this in two stints: 1966-1977 and 1980-1984.
PM Modi’s address on Thursday also broke the record set by his immediate predecessor, Manmohan Singh, who addressed the nation ten times in two consecutive terms.
Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister of the UPA government for 10 years between 2004 and 2014.
In an interesting fact, Gulzarilal Nanda and Chandra Shekhar were the only Prime Ministers who never had the opportunity to hoist the Tricolour.
Chandra Shekhar was the first prime minister, serving from November 1990 to June 1991. Nanda represented the country for two terms: May 27 to June 9, 1964, and January 11 to January 24, 1966.
Lal Bahadur Shastri and Morarji Desai raised the flag thrice each.
In his 78th Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted a set of ambitious goals aimed at molding India’s economy, promoting innovation, and placing the country as a worldwide leader in a variety of fields.
He also warned the people to defend the country from pessimists who cannot see India’s progress.
The Prime Minister made a convincing argument for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), claiming that a secular civil code was urgently required to replace discriminatory sectarian civil codes.
In his address to the nation, PM Modi emphasized the atrocities against women going place in the country and called for a comprehensive discussion on those suffering punishment so that those who transgress understand that they will be hanged.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also emphasized the role of the middle class in the country’s prosperity and promised minimal government intervention.
Source:IANS
