Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan on Friday highlighted the achievements of the Central government in various fields, including defence, healthcare, drug manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure development, start-ups and welfare of the poor, on the occasion of the 75th Republic Day celebrations.

Delivering the Republic-Day message after unfurling the national flag and receiving a salute during the ceremonial parade held at the Central Stadium here, Arif Mohammed Khan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to make India a superpower.  He said Viksit Sankalp Yatra has brought the development achievements of the Central government to the people.

“The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, which reached even the remotest corners of the nation, created awareness about the government’s welfare schemes and ensured access to clean cooking fuel, Ayushman Health Cards and insurance to lakhs of people,” the governor said.

Speaking on the capabilities and strength of our armed forces, Governor Khan said, “As a nation, we take immense pride in our Armed Forces, which are among the strongest in the world, with capabilities matching their large mandate. Their eternal vigil and restraint instill in us a greater sense of security. The recent developments at the borders were a test more of their restraint than of their strength.”

He said that the ‘Make in India’ strategy was a success and the same was visible in the indigenous semi-high-speed train Vande Bharat as well as the Kochi Water Metro, the first of its kind in India, operating on electric hybrid mode. He said the country registered growth in production, exports, due to the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ and this had helped the country surmount the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Atmanirbhar Bharat announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the days of the pandemic, rekindled the spark of creativity and innovation, taking the Gandhian concept of Gram Swaraj to the next level,” said Governor Khan.

Dwelling at length on the strides the country has made in space science, the governor said, “Today, we as a nation take immense pride in the soft-landing of India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the Moon’s South Pole, a feat which no other country could achieve before. Mission Gaganyaan and the success of Aditya L-1, the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun, have also added to our national prestige.”

Underlining the importance of dissent and differences of opinion in the democratic system, he cautioned that those would not degenerate into violence. “Dissent and differences of opinion are essential ingredients of democratic functioning but they should not degenerate into violence,” Governor Khan said.

Stating that the country was having a great potential for greater progress, he said, “India’s presidency of the G-20, Parliament passing the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, the country’s upsurge as the world’s preeminent nation in terms of real-time payments, our exports surpassing the USD 400 billion mark and overtaking Europe in terms of 5G user base were accomplishments that signal our potential for greater progress.”

The governor called for preserving the autonomy of higher education institutions and to prevent “outside interference that leads the youth to engage in activities which pollute the academic environment”.