New Parliament building symbolises India’s sprint towards developed status, PM Modi tells assembled lawmakers

The Parliament is the supreme position to serve the country and the House is not meant for the benefit of any political party but only for the development of the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Tuesday as he addressed a historic first session in the New Parliament building.

Highlighting the importance of the occasion, Prime Minister Modi remarked that it is the dawn of the ‘Amrit Kaal’ as India is moving forward with a resolve for the future by heading into the new Parliament edifice.

He spotlighted the recent achievements, including the success of Chandrayaan 3 in the science sector and the organisation of G20 and its impact on the global level.

“It is the time to accomplish the resolutions and begin the new journey with renewed enthusiasm and energy,” he said while remembering Lokmanya Tilak on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and how he converted the festival into a medium of igniting the flame of Swaraj in the entire country.

“Today we are moving with the same inspiration. Bhawan (building) has changed, Bhav (feelings) should also change,” said PM Modi as he urged everyone to move forward, leaving behind all the bitterness of the past.

The Prime Minister mentioned the presence of sacred Sengol serves as a link between the old and new and as a witness to the first light of freedom.

He mentioned in his speech that the grandeur of the new building anoints the ‘Amrit Kaal’ and remembered the hard work of the 30,000 Shramiks and engineers who kept on working on the building even during the pandemic.

Noting that there comes a time in the developmental journey of any nation when history is created, PM Modi said that the Union Cabinet had decided to give a go-ahead to the Reservation of Women in Parliament Bill.

“This historic day of 19th September 2023 is going to be immortal in the history of India,” he stated while observing the growing contributions of women in every sector.

The purpose of this Bill, he said, is to expand the participation of women in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas.

“Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam will further strengthen our democracy. I congratulate the mothers, sisters and daughters of the nation for Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam. I assure all the mothers, sisters and daughters of the nation that we are committed to making this bill into law,” he mentioned.

Later, while addressing the Rajya Sabha in the new Parliament building, PM Modi asserted that the Upper House of the Parliament should hold serious intellectual discussions rising above the ebb and flow of political discourse while giving a direction to the nation.

“It is the natural expectation of the country,” the Prime Minister said adding that it is always a pleasure to hear quality debates in Rajya Sabha which can be a source of inspiration for the legislative bodies all over the country with regard to parliamentary probity.

The Prime Minister said that despite the changes in dispensations in a democratic setup effort has been to keep the national interest supreme.

Underlining Rajya Sabha’s role as House of the States, the Prime Minister said that in the time of emphasis on cooperative federalism, the country has moved forward with great cooperation on many critical matters. He mentioned the Covid pandemic as an example of center-state cooperation.

The Prime Minister said that the nation celebrated 75 years of independence in the Samvidhan Sadan (old Parliament building)and the century of independence will be celebrated in the new Building in 2047 which will be a celebration in ‘Viksit Bharat’.

“I am confident that in the new Parliament, we will be part of the top three economies of the world. While we undertook many measures for the welfare of the poor, in the new Parliament we will achieve saturation of coverage of those schemes.”

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