Accra, Ghana, January 26, 2020//-Indians living in Ghana on Sunday 26, January 2020 converged at the Residence of the India High Commissioner in Accra to mark the 71st Republic Day of their home country.
On this day it marks the anniversary of its constitution coming into effect on January 26, 1950.
The annual celebration includes floats from the various Indian states and its defence and police forces as well as it high commissions across the world. These display a rich culture and heritage of India.
Addressing a large Indian community in Ghana, the new Indian High Commissioner to Ghana, H.E Mr Sugandh Rajaram who read a speech on behalf of the President of India, H.E Shri Ram Nath Kovind, said Indians remain committed to engaging the global community to build a secure and prosperous future for themselves and for the entire humanity.
Mr Kovind noted that this third decade of the 21st century would be the decade of the rise of New India and a new generation of Indians.
“More and more of those born in this century are participating in the national discourse. With the passage of time, we are gradually losing living links with our great freedom struggle….”
With advances in technology, the young minds of today are better informed and more confident. The next generation remains strongly committed to the core values of our nation”, Mr Kovind, added.
He was quick to add that along with the welfare of those most in need, every policy initiative of the government is guided by the “nation-first” principle.
The rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST ) has realized the country’s vision of “One Country, One Tax, One Market”.
It is being implemented by the e-NAM scheme which is strengthening the process of creating “one market for one nation” and will benefit farmers, Mr Kovind explained in his address to the nation.
“There is a consistent effort by the government to ensure overall development of each and every part of the country- be it Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh, the states in the North-East or our islands in the Indian Ocean”.
Touching on security, he stated that the government had taken several concrete steps to strengthen the internal security system of the Asian country.
For health and education, Mr Kovind didn’t mince words when he said access to health and education are often considered the foundation of good governance.
In these both sectors, the government has rightly focused its attention on the health sector with its ambitious initiatives.
Starting with the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and expanding to the Ayushman Bharat, which is the world’s largest publicly funded universal healthcare programme.
Mr Kovind observed: “The foundations of a sound education system were built in ancient times, with the setting up of great universities like Nalanda and Takshashila. In India, knowledge has always been considered more valuable than power, fame or riches”.
India according to him is proud of the achievements of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). They are making further progress in Mission Gaganyaan and the nation excitedly looks forward to the Indian Human Spacelight Programme gaining further momentum this year, he indicated.
On sports, Mr Kovind said: “This is also the year of Tokyo Olympics. While India has traditionally done well in a number of sports, the new generation of players and athletes has brought laurels for the nation in more and more varieties of sports in recent years”.
At Olympics 2020, the Indian contingent will be backed by cheers and good wishes of millions of Indians both home and abroad.
African Eye Report
