Address to the Nation From the Ramparts of the Red Fort, New Delhi
New Delhi : 11-05-2007
SPEECH IN ENGLISH
Peoples Second Freedom Movement
"Dream makes the nation"
Friends, where am I, I am asking myself? When I look around, please look around you. Our history will appear before us. This is the place, this is the area, where events of India, losing its freedom, and India gaining its freedom, unfolded in the time period of more than 150 years. Freedom is the lifeline of billion people of India. When I see you all marching to this place from Meerut, I visualize the events of 1857, and I get the real message about Unity of India. How to feel the freedom and how to experience the freedom? Let me take you, dear friends, who have assembled here, and all the people of my country, to a mission. The mission is: how to protect our freedom from within, and from any external interference to make India politically, economically and socially a strong nation.
How do we dear friends, how do we do it? It can be done; it can be done by bringing smiles to all the billion people, that is, by removing tears of poverty from 220 million people. Poverty is the weakness and prosperity with happy families is strong armour to protect the nation from internal conflict and external aggression. As the President of India, I had the privilege to give a road map to my Parliament, a Vision and India Millennium Mission 2020, for transforming India into a developed nation.
Integrated Action for Development
Our mission of transforming India into a Developed Nation is to meet the needs of all the billion people. We have identified five areas where India has core competencies for integrated action: (1) Agriculture and Food processing (2) Education and Healthcare (3) Information and Communication Technology (4) Infrastructure: Reliable and Quality Electric power, Transportation system and related Infrastructure for all parts of the country including providing urban facilities and basic necessities in rural clusters. (5) Self Reliance in Critical technologies in Strategic sectors. These five areas are closely inter-related and when effectively addressed, would lead to food, economic, energy and national security. There should be all around growth in the all the five areas in the all the States and Union Territories of the country to provide balanced development both in rural and urban areas. I visualize my nation by 2020 with Vision proclaimed by Parliament and actions initiated by the Government. Then a India of 2020 comes in front of me. What will that nation look like? How will it blossom into a developed nation?
1. A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line, by establishing 7,000 rural clusters and providing urban facilities in them.
2. A Nation where there is an equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water.
3. A Nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony leading to full employment opportunities.
4. A Nation where education with value system is not denied to any child.
5. A Nation where the best of health care is available to all.
6. A Nation where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption free.
7. A Nation which is free from crime and none in the society feels alienated.
8. A Nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, peaceful and happy and continues with a sustainable growth path.
9. A nation where people of different religions and faiths, live happily with each other and work together for the development of the nation.
Conclusion
To achieve these goals, a swift and bold national movement of development is essential. In this movement, every citizen, every constituent of our democracy has to participate. What can be the profile of people?s participation in this development movement? The citizen?s participation can be in many important areas like reaching the unreached and to create awareness, feedback on service to the people, human resource development, entrepreneurship, home makers contributing to societal upliftment, environment development, youth participation in political system with the focus on developed India.
Dear friends, now I visualize that when from this Red Fort our Prime Minister will be speaking on 15th Aug 2020, he will not be a Prime Minister of developing India, but he will be the Prime Minister of a developed India, a strong, prosperous and happy India.
Let us now resolve to start our people?s Second Independence Movement today in this historic place on 11 May 2007 to transform India into a developed nation well before 2020. Can?t we do it? My best wishes to all of you for success in this noble task which will be remembered by the posterity of this nation.
Seven Point Oath
1. I realize, I have to set a goal in my life. To achieve the goal, I will acquire the knowledge, I will work hard, and when the problem occurs, I have to defeat the problem and succeed.
2. As a youth of my nation, I will work and work with courage to achieve success in all my tasks and enjoy the success of others.
3. I shall always keep myself, my home, my surroundings, neighbourhood and environment clean and tidy.
4. I realize righteousness in the heart leads to beauty in the character, beauty in the character brings harmony in the home, harmony in the home leads to order in the nation and order in the nation leads to peace in the world.
5. I will lead an honest life free from all corruption and will set an example for others to adopt a righteous way of life.
6. I will light the lamp of knowledge in the nation and ensure that it remains lit for ever.
7. I realize, whatever work I do if I do the best, I am contributing towards realizing the vision of developed India 2020.
Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
May God Bless you.