President Droupadi Murmu has endorsed the ‘One Nation One Election’ initiative of the government and said it could prevent policy paralysis and reduce financial burden.
“Another measure that promises to redefine the terms of good governance is the Bill introduced in Parliament to synchronise election schedules in the country. The ‘One Nation One Election’ plan can promote consistency in governance, prevent policy paralysis, mitigate resource diversion, and reduce the financial burden, apart from offering many other benefits,” Murmu said on Saturday addressing the nation on the eve of the 76th Republic Day.
The President also praised the new criminal laws and said that these placed the delivery of justice instead of punishment at the centre of the criminal justice system.
“We won freedom in 1947, but many relics of a colonial mindset persisted among us for long. Of late, we have been witnessing concerted efforts to change that mindset. Among the most noteworthy of such efforts was the decision to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam,” she said.
The new laws also grant top priority to countering crimes against women and children, she said.
Economic growth
Appreciating the path of economic reforms, Murmu said that in recent years, the economic growth rate had remained persistently high, creating job opportunities for our youth, putting more money in the hands of farmers and labourers, and also lifting more people out of poverty. “The bold and far-sighted economic reforms will sustain this trend in the years to come. Inclusion is the cornerstone of our growth saga, distributing the fruits of developments as widely as possible,” said.
As the Government continues to assign top priority to financial inclusion, initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, MUDRA, Stand-Up India and Atal Pension Yojana have been expanded to provide more people access to a variety of financial support schemes, she added.
