Madam
Speaker, as we come to the end of the journey of the 15th
Lok Sabha, I join all Members of this august House to pay tribute to the
manner in which you have conducted the proceedings. Madam, in
parliamentary life, there are bound to be differences among parties but there
must also be ways and means of finding pathways to bring minimum
amount of consistency and reconciliation so that the ship of the Indian
State can move forward. We have seen that, on certain crucial
matters, this House has the capacity and the will to rise above partisan
strife100 and to find pathways
of national reconciliation. The manner in which the State of Telangana
is being born is yet120
another indication that this country is capable of taking some of
the most difficult decisions without any rancour, without worrying too
much about the pros and cons of things that do not matter and we can
take pride in the fact that the Telangana State, whose quest for being born
was pending for the last sixty years, has ultimately seen the
light of day. The Food Security Bill is yet another landmark legislation.
It will create a ray of hope200
among those who are deprived sections of our community. It will
encourage our farmers to produce more. Shri Sharad Pawar has described the manner
in which the agricultural situation in our country has improved and
I compliment him for the240
manner in which he has guided the destiny of the Agriculture Ministry.
Obviously, all Members of the House have played a very important role in
bringing that outcome about. Madam, we are now entering a phase where the
people of India will once again have an opportunity to assess, to pass
their judgement on the performance of Government, weaknesses of300 our Government, the achievements
of the Government and it is in that process, that once again a new sense of consensus
will emerge which will carry our country to new pathways.
I
thank all the hon. Members of the House. I thank the Leader of
the Opposition. Once again, I give all Members of this august House my
best wishes360 and let us
hope that, out of this strife, out of this tense atmosphere which prevailed
for some time, there will be a birth of a new atmosphere of hope. With
these words, I conclude my remarks by once again400 thanking you, Madam Speaker, for the
manner in which you have conducted the proceedings.
Honourable
Members, I am pleased to address the joint sitting of
Parliament at the start of the third decade of 21st century. I once
again extend my best wishes for the New Year and congratulate all Members of
Parliament for being a witness to this historic occasion. This decade is very
important for India. In this decade, we will complete 75 years of our480 independence. In this decade, we
all have to work together with new energy to give impetus to the making
of500 a new India. With the
efforts of my Government, a strong foundation has been laid in the
last five years, to make this decade India’s decade and this century
India’s century.
The
Constitution of India is the guiding light for all of us in fulfilling these
dreams. Just a few weeks ago, on 26th November, 70 years of the
Constitution have been completed. On that day, 12 crore citizens of
the country, publicly read out the Preamble of the Constitution and
renewed their commitment to the Constitution. In addition to protecting
the rights of every citizen of our country,600
our Constitution makes the citizens of the country mindful of their
duties. Further, our Constitution also places an expectation that the decisions
taken through democratic process will be accepted by the countrymen. At the
same time, our Constitution expects the Parliament and every member present
in this House to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the
countrymen and make the necessary laws, keeping the national interest
paramount. I am happy that in the last 7 months, Parliament has set new
standards in conducting its business. The performance during the first session
of this Lok Sabha has set a new record700
in the last seven decades. Due to my Government’s strong commitment,
several historic legislations have been enacted. The faith reposed720 by the people of this country in
our democratic institutions strengthens the foundation of our democracy. My
Government is of the firm view that mutual discussions and debates strengthen
democracy. At the same time, any kind of violence in the name of
protests weakens the society and the nation.
In a democracy, nothing is more sacred than the mandate given by the people. The people of the country have given this mandate to my Government for the making of a800 new India. For making such a new India and for fulfilling the expectations of the people, my Government is working with commendable pace and decisiveness to bring about changes in every field. It is the outcome of reforms at the840 grassroot level ushered in by the Government in the last five years that there has been an unprecedented improvement in India’s global ranking in several areas. The success of the public welfare schemes of my Government and the historic decisions taken by the Government have increased the expectations of the countrymen, as well as the responsibilities of the Government. Over900 40 lakh people living in the capital city of Delhi, had been living for many years in the hope that one day they would get the ownership rights of their homes and that they will be able to lead a dignified life. The Government has fulfilled this long-awaited expectation of people living in more than 1,700 colonies of Delhi.960 Farmers, agricultural labourers, unorganized sector labourers and small traders of the country had expectations of a pension scheme that would be of help to them in their old age. My Government has not only fulfilled their wish, but has also1000 covered about 60 lakh beneficiaries so far, under these pension schemes.1011
