India better placed today to meet challenges of future: President Kovind

New Delhi [India], January 25 (ANI): President Ram Nath Kovind said on Tuesday that India is better placed today to meet the challenges of the future and urged people to re-discover the values that animated freedom movement.
Addressing the nation on the eve of 73rd Republic Day, he said the twenty-first century is turning out to be the age of climate change, and India has taken a leadership position on the world stage in showing the way, especially with its bold and ambitious push for renewable energy.
"At the individual level, each one of us can remember Gandhiji's advice and help improve the world around us. India has always considered the whole world as one family. I am sure that, inspired by this spirit of universal brotherhood, our country and the entire global community will move towards a more equitable and prosperous future," he said.
The President said India will cross a milestone when it completes 75 years of Independence and is celebrating 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
He said it is heartening to note that citizens, especially youngsters, are participating enthusiastically in a variety of events and programmes organised to commemorate the landmark year and it is a great opportunity for not only the next generation but all citizens to reconnect with the past.
"I am confident that India is better placed today to meet the challenges of the future," he said.
The President said that the freedom struggle was an inspiring chapter in the country's splendid saga.
"In this seventy-fifth year of Independence, let us re-discover the values that animated our glorious national movement. Many men and women laid down their lives for our freedom. Our freedom fighters have suffered unimaginable torture and made countless sacrifices for us to enjoy the festivals of Independence Day and Republic Day. Let us gratefully recall their immortal sacrifices on the occasion of Republic Day," he said.
The President said India is an ancient civilisation but a young republic.
He said India has made impressive progress and new opportunities await the next generation.
"For us, nation-building is a constant endeavour. As in a family, so in a nation; one generation works hard to ensure a better future for the next generation. When we won independence, the exploitation of colonial rule had left us in utter poverty, but in seventy-five years, we have made impressive progress. New opportunities await the next generation. Our youth have taken advantage of these opportunities and set new benchmarks of success," he said.
"I am sure that with this energy, confidence and entrepreneurship, our country will continue to march ahead on the path of progress and will definitely secure its rightful place, befitting its potential, in the global community," he added. (ANI)