New Delhi, Aug 1 (Mayank Nigam) Emphasising that development of the country is not possible in an environment of mistrust, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asserted that the country has moved from trust deficit to trust surplus. Speaking after receiving the Lokmanya Tilak National Award here, he gave examples of the trust surplus in the major changes effected in last nine years, mentioning that India becoming fifth largest economy is one such example, development of Made in India corona vaccine, giving collateral-free loans under Mudra Yojana, surrendering of the gas subsidy by lakhs of countrymen are some of examples. He also emphasised that due to this trade surplus, the Swachta campaign and Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao became a people’s movement. Modi stressed that increasing public trust is becoming the medium of progress for the people of India.
He also underlined that after 75 years of independence, the country is looking at Amrit Kaal as the Kartvaya Kaal, where every citizen is working at their own level keeping in mind the dreams and resolutions of the country. As a result, today the world is also witnessing the future in India as our efforts are becoming an assurance for the entire humanity, he said. The Prime Minister expressed that citizens will definitely turn the dream of a strong and prosperous India into a reality with the power of Lokmanya Tilak’s thoughts and blessings. He expressed confidence that Hind Swarajya Sangh will continue to play an important role in connecting people with the ideals of Tilak. While paying tributes to Lokmanya Tilak on his death anniversary and the birth anniversary of Anna Bhau Sathe, the Prime Minister said, “Lokmanya Tilak is the ‘tilak’ of India’s freedom struggle.”
Talking about contribution of Tilak, he said that contribution of Lokmanya Tilak to the independence of India cannot be confined to a few words or events, as his influence was evident on all the leaders and events of the freedom struggle. He pointed out that Lokmanya Tilak changed the direction of the freedom struggle with his ‘Swarajya is my birthright’ claim and said that even the colonial British administrators had referred him as ‘Father of the Indian unrest’. While lauding the institution-building capabilities of Lokmanya Tilak, the Prime Minister said that his collaboration with Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal was a golden chapter of India’s freedom struggle. Recalling Tilak’s use of newspapers in the freedom struggle, he said, “Kesari is still being published and read in Maharashtra. This bears testimony to strong institution building by Lokmanya Tilak.”