Netaji was first head of Akhand Bharat, who freed Andaman before 1947 and hoisted Tricolor says PM Modi while inaugurating Kartavya Path
PM unveils the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate
“Kingsway i.e. Rajpath, the
symbol of slavery, has become a matter of history from today and has been
erased forever”
“It is our effort that Netaji’s energy should guide the country today. Netaji’s
statue on the ‘Kartavya Path’ will become a medium for that”
“Today, India’s ideals and dimensions are its own. Today, India's resolve is
its own and its goals are its own. Today, our paths are ours, our symbols are
our own”
“Both, thinking and behaviour of the countrymen are getting freed from the
mentality of slavery”
“The emotion and structure of the Rajpath were symbols of slavery, but today
with the change in architecture, its spirit is also transformed”
“The Shramjeevis of Central Vista and their families will be my special guests
on the next Republic Day Parade”
“Workers working on the new
Parliament Building will get a place of honour in one of the galleries”
“Shramev Jayate is becoming a mantra for the nation”
“Aspirational India can make rapid progress only by giving impetus to social
infrastructure, transport infrastructure, digital infrastructure and cultural
infrastructure as a whole”
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated 'Kartavya Path' today. It
symbolises a shift from erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power, to Kartavya
Path being an example of public ownership and empowerment. The Prime Minister
also unveiled the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate on
occasion.
Addressing
the gathering, the Prime Minister said that in the time of Azadi ka Amrit
Mahotsav the nation felt a new inspiration and energy today. “Today, we are
filling the picture of tomorrow with new colours, leaving behind the past.
Today this new aura is visible everywhere, it is the aura of confidence of New
India”, he said. He continued “Kingsway i.e. Rajpath, the symbol of slavery,
has become a matter of history from today and has been erased forever. Today a
new history has been created in the form of ‘Kartavya Path’. I congratulate all
the countrymen for their freedom from yet another identity of slavery, in this
Amrit Kaal of independence.”
The
Prime Minister said that today a huge statue of our national hero Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose has also been installed near India Gate. “At the time of slavery,
there was a statue of the representative of the British Raj. Today the country
has also brought to life a modern, strong India by establishing the statue of
Netaji at the same place”, he added. Recalling the greatness of Netaji, the
Prime Minister said “Subhas Chandra Bose was such a great man who was beyond
the challenge of position and resources. His acceptance was such that the whole
world considered him a leader. He had courage and self-respect. He had ideas,
he had visions. He had leadership abilities and had policies.”
He
said that no country should forget its glorious past. India’s glorious history
is in every Indian’s blood and tradition. Netaji, the Prime Minister reminded,
was proud of India’s heritage and at the same time, he wanted to make India modern.
“If after independence India had followed the path of Subhash Babu, what
heights would the country be at today! But unfortunately, this great hero of
ours was forgotten after independence. His ideas, even the symbols associated
with them, were ignored”, the Prime Minister lamented.
He recalled the visit to Netaji’s residence in Kolkata on the occasion
of Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary and remembered the energy that he felt at
that time. “It is our effort that Netaji’s energy should guide the country
today. Netaji’s statue on the ‘Kartavya Path’ will become a medium for that'',
he said. The Prime Minister said “In the last eight years, we have taken many
such decisions one after the other, which are imprinted with the ideals and
dreams of Netaji. Netaji Subhash was the first head of Akhand Bharat, who freed
Andaman before 1947 and hoisted the Tricolor. At that time he had imagined what
it would be like to hoist the Tricolor at the Red Fort. I personally
experienced this feeling, when I had the privilege of hoisting the Tricolor at
the Red Fort on the occasion of 75 years of the Azad Hind government.” He also
talked about the museum dedicated to Netaji and the Azad Hind Fauz in the Red
Fort.
PM also remembered the Republic Day Parade in 2019 when a contingent of
Azad Hind Fauz also marched, a long-awaited honour for the veterans. Similarly,
the identity and their association in the Andaman Islands were also
strengthened.
Reiterating
the nation's commitment to ‘Panch Pran’ the PM Modi said “Today India’s ideals
and dimensions are its own. Today India's resolve is its own and its goals are
its own. Today our paths are ours, our symbols are our own.” He continued
“Today when the Rajpath ceases to exist and has become a Kartavya Path. Today
when the statue of Netaji has replaced the mark of the statue of George V, then
this is not the first example of the abandonment of slavery mentality. This is
neither the beginning nor the end. It is a continuous journey of determination
till the goal of freedom of mind and spirit is achieved.” He also talked of
significant changes like the change of the name of the PM Residence to Lok
Kalyan Marg in place of Racecourse road, Indian musical instruments in
ceremonies of Independence Day and Beating the Retreat ceremony. He also
referred to the change of ensign by the Indian Navy from colonial to the ensign
of Chhatrapati Shivaji. “Similarly, the National War memorial also represents
the glory of the country”, he added.
The
Prime Minister said that these changes are not confined to the symbols but have
also infused the policies of the country too. “Today the country has changed
hundreds of laws that have been going on since the British era. The time and
date of the Indian Budget, which was following the times of the British
Parliament for so many decades, have also been changed. Through the National
Education Policy, now the youth of the country are being liberated from the
compulsion of foreign language”, he pointed out. “That means, both the thinking
and the behaviour of the countrymen are freed from the mentality of slavery”,
he added.
PM
Modi emphasized that the Kartavya Path is not just a road of bricks and stones
but a living example of India's democratic past and all-time ideals. He
reiterated that when the people of the country come here, the statue of Netaji
and the National War Memorial will be a source of great inspiration and it will
fill them with a sense of duty. The Prime Minister highlighted that on the
contrary, the Rajpath was for the British Raj who considered the people of
India as slaves. He stressed that the emotion and structure of the Rajpath were
a symbol of slavery, but today with the change in architecture, its spirit is
also transformed. This Kartavya Path stretching from the National War Memorial
to Rashtrapati Bhawan will be vibrant with a sense of duty, he added.
The
Prime Minister expressed special gratitude toward the shramiks and the
labourers not just for the physical contribution to the redevelopment of
Kartavya Path but also for the height of their labour which is a living and
breathing example of Kartavya toward the nation. Talking about his meeting with
the Shramjeevis, the Prime Minister praised the dream of the nation’s glory
that they carry in their hearts. The Shramjeevis of Central Vista and their
families will be Prime Minister’s special guests on the next Republic Day
Parade. The Prime Minister expressed happiness that today there is a tradition
of respect for Shram (labour) and Shramjeevi (workers) in the country. He emphasized
that with sensitivity in policies, there is sensitivity in decisions and
‘Shramev Jayate’ is becoming a mantra for the nation. He recalled instances of
interactions with workers in Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Vikrant, and Prayagraj
Kumbh. Workers working on the new Parliament Building will get a place of
honour in one of the galleries, he informed.
The
Prime Minister said that India of today is working on cultural infrastructure
along with physical, digital, and transport infrastructure. For Social infrastructure,
he gave examples of new AIIMS and medical colleges, IITs, water connections,
and Amrit Sarovars. Rural roads and the record number of modern expressways,
railways and metro networks, and new airports are expanding transport
infrastructure in an unprecedented manner. Optical fibre to panchayats and
records of digital payments have made India’s digital infrastructure a topic of
global appreciation. Talking about cultural infrastructure, the Prime Minister
said that it does not mean just the infrastructure associated with the places
of faith but also includes infrastructure related to our history, our national
heroes and our national heritage. He said that the development of such sites is
also taking place with equal urgency.
“Be it Sardar Patel's Statue of Unity or a museum dedicated to tribal
freedom fighters, PM Museum or Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial, National War
Memorial or National Police Memorial, these are examples of cultural
infrastructure”, the Prime Minister added. Shri Modi further elaborated that
they define our culture as a nation. It defines what our values are, and how
we are protecting them. The Prime Minister stressed that an aspirational India
can make rapid progress only by giving impetus to social infrastructure,
transport infrastructure, digital infrastructure and cultural infrastructure as
a whole. “I am happy that today, the country is getting another great example
of cultural infrastructure in the form of Kartavya Path”, the Prime Minister
added.
In
concluding his address, the Prime Minister called upon every citizen of the
country and sent out an open invitation to come and see this newly constructed
Kartavya Path in all its glory. “In its development, you will see the India of
the future. The energy here will give you a new vision for our vast nation, a
new belief”, the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister also mentioned the
drone show based on the life of Netaji Subhash that will take place for the
next three days. The Prime Minister also urged the citizens to visit and take
pictures which can be uploaded on social media with the hashtag #KartavyaPath.
“I know this entire area is the heartbeat of the people of Delhi, and a large
number of people come with their families to spend time in the evening. The
planning, designing and lighting of the duty path has also been done keeping
this in mind” he said. “I believe that this inspiration of Kartavya Path will
create a flow of duty in the country and this flow will take us to the
fulfilment of the resolve of a new and developed India,” the Prime Minister
concluded.
Union
Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of
Tourism, G Kishan Reddy, Union Ministers of State of Culture of India, Arjun
Ram Meghwal and Meenakshi Lekhi and Union Minister of State of Housing and
Urban Affairs, Kaushal Kishore were those present on the occasion.
Background
The
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated 'Kartavya Path' today. It symbolises
a shift from erstwhile Rajpath being an icon of power, to Kartavya Path being
an example of public ownership and empowerment. The Prime Minister also
unveiled the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate on occasion.
These steps are in line with Prime Minister’s second ‘Panch Pran’ for New India
in Amrit Kaal: ‘remove any trace of colonial mindset’.
Over
the years, Rajpath and adjoining areas of the Central Vista Avenue had been
witnessing pressure of increasing traffic of visitors, putting stress on its
infrastructure. It lacked basic amenities like public toilets, drinking water,
street furniture and adequate parking space. Further, there was inadequate
signage, poor maintenance of water features and haphazard parking. Also, a need
was felt to organise the Republic Day parade and other National events less
disruptively with minimal restrictions on public movement. The redevelopment
has been done bearing these concerns in mind while ensuring the integrity and
continuity of architectural character.
Kartavya
Path will exhibit beautified landscapes, lawns with walkways, added green
spaces, refurbished canals, new amenity blocks, improved signages and vending
kiosks. Further, new pedestrian underpasses, improved parking spaces, new
exhibition panels and upgraded night lighting are some other features that will
enhance the public experience. It also includes a number of sustainability
features like solid waste management, stormwater management, recycling of used
water, rainwater harvesting, water conservation and energy-efficient lighting
systems, among others.
The
statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, which was unveiled by the Prime Minister,
is installed in the same place where a hologram statue of Netaji was unveiled
earlier this year on Parakram Diwas, January 23 by him. The granite statue is a
fitting tribute to the immense contribution of Netaji to our freedom struggle
and would be a symbol of the country’s indebtedness to him. Crafted by Arun
Yogiraj, who was the main sculptor, the 28 feet tall statue has been carved
from a monolithic granite stone and weighs 65 MT.