Message to the Nation on the eve of 79th Independence Day by the President of India
Smt. Draupadi Murmu
New Delhi, August 14, 2025
My dear countrymen,
Namaskar!
I extend my warm greetings to all of you on the eve of Independence Day. It is a matter of pride for all of us that Independence Day and Republic Day are celebrated with great enthusiasm and zeal by all Indians. These days are special reminders of the pride of being an Indian.
The date of 15th August is deeply etched in our collective memory. During the long period of colonial rule, generations of countrymen had dreamt that one day the country would be independent. People in every part of the country – men and women, old and young – were desperate to throw off the shackles of foreign rule. Their struggle was not marked by despair but by a strong sense of hope. That same sense of hope has been powering our progress after Independence. Tomorrow, when we salute our tricolour, we will also pay tribute to all those freedom fighters whose sacrifices helped India achieve independence on 15th August 78 years ago.
After regaining our independence, we moved forward on the path of a democracy in which all adults had the right to vote. In other words, we, the people of India, gave ourselves the right to shape our destiny. In many democratic systems, there were restrictions on the voting rights of people on the basis of gender, religion and others. But we did not do that. Despite the challenges, the people of India successfully adopted democracy. Adoption of democracy was a natural expression of our ancient democratic values. The land of India has been the land of the oldest republics in the world. It is absolutely right to call it the mother of democracy. The edifice of our democracy has been built on the foundation of the Constitution adopted by us. We created institutions based on democracy which strengthened the democratic functioning. For us, our Constitution and our democracy are paramount.
Looking back at the past, we must never forget the pain caused by the Partition of the country. Today we celebrate Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. Partition witnessed horrific violence and forced millions of people to be displaced. Today we pay tribute to those who fell victim to the mistakes of history.
Dear countrymen,
Our Constitution enshrines four values that are the pillars of our democracy. These values are justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. These are the principles of our civilization that we revived during the freedom struggle. I believe that at the core of all these values lies the concept of dignity of the individual. Every person is equal, and everyone has the right to be treated with dignity. Everyone should have equal access to health care and education facilities. Everyone should get equal opportunities. Those who were deprived due to the traditional system needed help.
Keeping these principles paramount, we began a new journey in 1947. At the time of independence, after a long period of foreign rule, India was reeling under abject poverty. But, in the 78 years since then, we have made extraordinary progress in all spheres. India has covered a great distance on the path of becoming a self-reliant nation and is moving ahead with great confidence.
In the economic sphere, our achievements can be clearly seen. With a gross domestic product growth rate of 6.5 per cent in the last fiscal, India is the fastest growing country among the major economies of the world. Despite the problems prevailing in the global economy, domestic demand is growing rapidly. Inflation is under control. Exports are growing. All major indicators are reflecting the strong state of the economy. This is the result of well-thought-out reforms and efficient economic management, along with the hard work and dedication of our worker and farmer brothers and sisters.