India’s manned space mission by 2022 : Modi

New Delhi : The Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced India’s manned Space mission “ Gagan-Yaan’ by 2022 using Indigenous technology. Adressing the nation on the occasion of 72^nd Independence Day has said that India will be the 4^th nation in the world after the US, Russia and China to send human to the space.

The Prime Minister also announced the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan on 25th September this year – the anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. It is high time we ensure that the poor of India get access to good quality and affordable healthcare, he asserted. He said this scheme would positively impact 50 crore people.

He explained how better targeting of government benefits has been achieved by weeding out about 6 crore fake beneficiaries. The honest taxpayer of India has a major role in the progress of the nation, he said, adding that it is due to them that so many people are fed, and the lives of the poor are transformed.

 

The Prime Minister asserted that the corrupt and those who have black money would not be forgiven. He said that Delhi’s streets are now free from power brokers, and the voice of the poor is heard.

The PM announced that women officers of Short Service Commission in the Indian Armed Forces would now be eligible for permanent commission through a transparent selection process.

Noting that the practice of Triple Talaq has caused great injustice among Muslim women the Prime Minister assured Muslim women that he will will work to ensure that justice is done to them.

Reiterating the vision to double farmers’ incomes by 2022, the Prime Minister asserted that the aim is to accomplish tasks which seem extremely difficult. He said initiatives such as Ujjwala Yojana and Saubhagya Yojana are providing dignity to the people. He said organizations such as the WHO have appreciated the progress made in the Swachh Bharat Mission.

 

He said that the Union Government had taken decisions which had been pending for long, including higher MSP for farmers, GST, and One Rank – One Pension. He said this has become possible because the Union Government has kept national interest supreme.

The Prime Minister mentioned how international organizations and agencies were looking at India very differently today, as compared to 2013. He said that from a time of “policy paralysis”, India had moved to “Reform, Perform, Transform.” He said India is now a member of several important multilateral organizations, and is leading the International Solar Alliance.

The Prime Minister said that the North-East is today in the news for achievements in sports, for connecting the last unconnected villages with electricity, and for becoming a hub of organic farming.

The Prime Minister mentioned 13 crore loans being disbursed under the Mudra Yojana, and four crore loans out of this number, being disbursed to first time beneficiaries of such loans.

The Prime Minister spoke of the decline in Left Wing Extremism in the country. He reiterated former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision of “Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat, Kashmiriyat,” for the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

He emphasized on the vision of Housing for All, Power for All, Clean Cooking for All, Water for All, Sanitation for All, Skill for All, Health for All, Insurance for All, and Connectivity for All.

He said that he is impatient, anxious and keen to see India progress, eliminate malnutrition, and to see Indians get a better quality of life.