My cabinet colleagues Shri Anurag Thakur ji and Arjun Ram Meghwal ji, my long-time friend and Chief Editor of Mahamana Sampoorna Vangamay, Ram Bahadur Rai ji, the President of Mahamana Malaviya Mission, Prabhu Narayan Shrivastav ji, all the distinguished personalities present on the dais, ladies and gentlemen!
First of all, Merry Christmas to all of you! Today is a day that serves as an inspiration for millions of people who hold faith in Bharat and Bharatiyata. It's the birth anniversary of Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya ji. It's also the birth anniversary of Atal ji today. On this sacred occasion, I bow to the feet of Mahamana Malaviya ji and pay my respectful homage to Atal ji. On the occasion of Atal ji's birth anniversary, the country is observing Good Governance Day. I extend my congratulations to all the citizens on Good Governance Day.
Friends,
The release of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya's complete works on this auspicious occasion is inherently significant. This entire ‘Vangmay’ (collection), reflecting Mahamana's thoughts, ideals, and his life, will serve as a powerful medium to acquaint our youth and future generations. It will open a gateway to understand and comprehend Bharat’s independence struggle and contemporary history. These works, particularly for research scholars, students of history, and political science, are nothing less than an intellectual treasure. These books cover everything from the episodes related to the establishment of BHU, his dialogues with the top leadership of Congress, his firm stance against British rule, and to the value of Bharat’s ancient heritage. Most importantly, one volume mentioned by Ram Bahadur Rai ji contains excerpts from Mahamana's personal diary. Mahamana's diary can provide guidance to the Indian psyche in all dimensions, including society, nation, and spirituality.
Friends, I know the mission team and all of you have dedicated years to this work. Searching for thousands of letters and documents of Malaviya ji from every corner of the country, collecting them, meticulously navigating through archives like exploring a vast ocean, bringing each paper to light and collecting old papers from the personal collections of kings and maharajas is no less than a Herculean task. The result of this profound effort is that Mahamana's colossal personality is now before us in the form of this complete 11-volume collection. I extend heartfelt congratulations to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Mahamana Malaviya Mission, Ram Bahadur Rai ji and his team for this great endeavour. Many individuals from libraries and families connected to Mahamana have also made significant contributions. I applaud all those people from the bottom of my heart.
My family members,
Personalities like Mahamana are born once in centuries. They continue to influence us every moment, every time, for many generations to come. Bharat owes a debt to Mahamana that spans across many generations. He was on par with the greatest scholars of his time in education and competence. He was a fusion of modern thinking and ancient traditions! Not only did he play a significant role in the independence struggle, but he also actively contributed to awakening the spiritual soul of the country! If one perspective of his vision was on the challenges of the present, the other was dedicated to building the future! Mahamana, in whatever role he held, prioritized 'Nation First.' He clashed with the mightiest powers for the country. Even in the most challenging times, he sowed the seeds of possibilities for the nation. There are many such contributions of Mahamana that will now authentically come to light through the 11 volumes of the complete collection. I consider it fortunate for my government that we awarded him the Bharat Ratna. For me personally, Mahamana is special for another reason. Like him, I have also been given the opportunity by God to serve Kashi. It is also my privilege that when I filed the nomination papers for the 2014 elections, the proposer was a member of Mahamana ji's family. Mahamana had profound faith in Kashi. Today, Kashi is touching new heights of development, restoring the pride of its heritage.
My family members,
Liberated from the mentality of slavery, the country is taking pride in its heritage and is continuing to move forward in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. You will feel the essence of Malaviya ji's thoughts somewhere in the work of our governments also. Malaviya ji gave us a vision of a nation whose modern body preserves its ancient soul. When the idea of boycotting education while opposing the British arose, Malaviya ji stood against that concept. He was against that idea. He said that instead of boycotting education, we should move towards creating a self-reliant education system based on Indian values. And interestingly, he not only took up this responsibility himself but also gave the country the Banaras Hindu University as a prestigious institution. He encouraged youth studying in institutions like Oxford and Cambridge to come to BHU. Despite being a great scholar of English, Mahamana strongly advocated for Indian languages. There was a time when Persian and English dominated the country's administration and courts. Malaviya ji raised his voice against this as well. Due to his efforts, the use of the Devanagari script gained popularity, and Indian languages received recognition. Today, glimpses of Malaviya ji's efforts can be seen in the country's new National Education Policy. We have initiated higher education in Indian languages. The government is also encouraging work in Indian languages in courts. Unfortunately, the country had to wait 75 years for this work to be done.
Friends,
The strength of any nation lies in the empowerment of its institutions. Malaviya ji created many such institutions in his lifetime where the development of national personalities took place. While the world knows about Banaras Hindu University, Mahamana ji also established many other institutions. Whether it's the Rishikul Brahmacharya Ashram in Haridwar, Bharati Bhavan Library in Prayagraj, or the Sanatan Dharma Mahavidyalaya in Lahore, Malaviya ji dedicated various institutions to nation-building. If we compare that era with today, we find that once again Bharat is creating one institution after another in the process of nation-building. A separate Ministry of Cooperation has been established to give momentum to the country's development through the power of cooperation. The central government has established a separate Ministry of AYUSH for the development of Indian medical practices. The foundation stone for the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine has also been laid in Jamnagar. We have established the Indian Institute of Millets Research for research on Shree Anna, i.e., millets. Bharat has recently formed the Global Biofuel Alliance for contemplation on global topics in the energy sector. Whether it's the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, the formation of DAKSHIN for the Global South, or the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, the establishment of IN-SPACe for the space sector or the SAGAR Initiative in the naval sector, Bharat is becoming the creator of many national and international institutions today. These institutions, these initiatives, are not just for 21st-century Bharat but will also work towards giving a new direction to the world of the 21st century.
Friends,
Mahamana and Atal ji were both connected to the same stream of thoughts. Atal ji said about Mahamana, "When a person sets out to do something without government assistance, Mahamana's personality, his character, will illuminate his path like a beacon." Today, the country is united in fulfilling those dreams that Malaviya ji, Atal ji, and every freedom fighter of the country envisioned. We have based it on good governance. Good governance means being service-centric rather than power-centric. When policies are formulated with clear intentions, with empathy... and when every deserving person gets their full rights without any discrimination. This principle of good governance has become the identity of our government today.
Our government is constantly striving to ensure that citizens don't have to run around for basic facilities. Instead, the government is going to each citizen and providing them with every facility. Now our effort is to ensure the saturation of every facility and implement it 100 per cent. The ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ is being conducted across the country for this purpose. You must have seen Modi's guarantee vehicle reaching villages and cities. Beneficiaries are getting the benefits of many schemes on the spot. Let me give you an example. Today, the Central Government provides Ayushman cards for free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to every poor person. These cards have been given to millions of poor people in the last few years. However, due to a lack of awareness in many areas, poor people could not get these Ayushman cards. Now, Modi's guarantee vehicle has distributed more than one crore new Ayushman cards within just 40 days in the country. The beneficiaries have been identified and given the cards. No one should be left behind. ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ -- this is good governance.
Friends,
Another aspect of good governance is honesty and transparency. In our country, there was a perception that governments cannot function without big scams and corruption. Before 2014, we used to hear a lot about scams worth lakhs of crores of rupees. However, our government, through its good governance, has shattered those apprehensions. Today, discussions revolve around schemes worth lakhs of crores of rupees for the welfare of the poor. We are spending 4 lakh crores of rupees on the scheme of free ration for the poor. Our government is also spending more than 4 lakh crores of rupees to provide permanent homes to the poor. More than 3 lakh crores of rupees are being spent to bring piped water to every home. Every rupee of the honest taxpayers should be spent in the welfare of the people and the national interest ... This is good governance.
And friends,
When work is done with such honesty and policies are formulated accordingly, then the result is evident. The result of this good governance is that 13.5 crore people have been lifted out of poverty in just five years of our government.
Friends,
Without empathy, one cannot imagine good governance. We had more than 110 districts in our country considered backward, which were left on their own. It was believed that since these 110 districts were backward, the country would remain backward as well. When an officer had to be given a punishment posting, they were sent to these districts. It was accepted that nothing could be changed in these 110 districts, and neither could the country progress. Therefore, our government rebranded these 110 districts as Aspiration Districts. We focused on the development of these districts on a mission mode. Today, these aspirational districts are performing better than other districts on various development parameters. In the same spirit, we are currently working on the Aspirational Blocks Program.
Friends,
When the mindset and approach change, results follow. For decades, our border villages were considered the last villages. We instilled in them the belief that they are the country's first villages. We initiated the Vibrant Village program in the border villages. Today, government officials and ministers are visiting those areas, interacting with the people. I made it compulsory for my cabinet ministers that they must spend the night at the village which was previously considered the last village, which I now call the first village. Some have even gone to altitudes as high as 17,000 feet.
Today, the benefits of government schemes are reaching the people there swiftly. If this isn't good governance, then what is? In times of any unfortunate incident or disaster in the country, the government rapidly mobilizes relief and prevention efforts. We witnessed this during the Corona pandemic and the Ukraine conflict. Whenever there is a crisis anywhere in the world, the country works at a war footing to save its citizens. There are numerous examples of good governance which I can give. The changes in governance are also influencing societal perspectives. As a result, there is a newfound trust between the people and the government in Bharat today. This trust is reflected in the rising self-confidence of the nation. This confidence is becoming the energy for the development of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence.
Friends,
In the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence, we must work towards the dream of a ‘Viksit Bharat’, considering the principles of Mahamana and Atal ji as benchmarks. I believe that every citizen of the country will contribute their full dedication to the path of success with determination. With this belief, I now conclude my speech, paying my respects to Mahamana once again. Many thanks!
