New Delhi, Jan 28 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu, addressing a joint session of Parliament at the start of the Budget Session on Wednesday, lauded India’s strides in agriculture, industry, healthcare, and social welfare, calling the nation’s rapid progress “a topic for global discussion”.
Highlighting record foodgrain production of over 350 million tonnes in the past year, the President announced that India has now become the world’s largest rice producer.
She further noted that the country has emerged as the second-largest fish-producing nation, reflecting the success of the blue economy, while continuing to lead globally in milk production -- a testament to the strength of the cooperative movement.
On the industrial front, President Murmu praised India’s rise as the second-largest producer in mobile manufacturing, underscoring the government’s efforts to build a system free from corruption and ensure that “every rupee is spent on India’s development”.
Infrastructure development also featured prominently in her speech. She cited the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, initiated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which added nearly 18,000 kilometres of new rural roads in the past year alone.
Turning to healthcare, the President commended the establishment of 1.8 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and highlighted initiatives benefiting senior citizens. Nearly one crore elderly citizens have been issued Vay Vandana cards, enabling around eight lakh of them to receive free hospital treatment.
She also pointed to the Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, under which more than six crore citizens have been screened, and mission-mode campaigns that have helped control Japanese Encephalitis in rural Uttar Pradesh.
“It is a matter of pride that the World Health Organisation has declared India free of trachoma,” she added.
President Murmu emphasised that the government’s vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas is positively impacting lives across the country, particularly among Dalits, backward classes, and tribal communities.
She noted that social security coverage has expanded dramatically, with 95 crore Indians now benefiting from schemes, compared to 25 crore in 2014.
The President’s address set the tone for the Budget Session, underscoring the government’s achievements across agriculture, industry, healthcare, and social welfare, while projecting India’s development story as one of global significance.
--IANS
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