Commemorating 75 Years of Independent India

The theme of this year's Independence Day is 'Nation First, Always First.' The national identity of India is composed of diverse linguistic, cultural and religious threads. India has come a long way in its 75 years of Independence, and has several accomplishments to its approbation.

Through this article, let us wind the clock and see how far we have come since 1947.

Aatmnirbharta

Agricultural development is an integral part of overall economic development. Since Independence, India has made a stupendous progress in the field of agriculture. Indian agriculture, which grew at a rate of about 1% per annum during the fifty years before Independence, has grown at the rate of about 2.6% per annum in the post-Independence era. In order to achieve the goal of self-sufficiency, a new agricultural strategy was initiated in 1966-67, popularly known as ‘Green Revolution.’ After the reforms of 1991, it reduced Government participation in economic activities. These reforms aimed for the liberalisation of the Indian Economy. It adversely affected the domestic market of agriculture due to new international trade accord and WTO protocols which gave rise to new challenges among policy makers.

In 2020, three farm laws were passed in the parliament which resulted in a large-scale protest by the farmers across the country. Dialogues are the most efficient way to resolve differences. As the agriculture sector still remains the backbone of the Indian Economy, the policymakers must discern ingenious ways to improve its efficiency and relevancy in Indian Economic growth.

Land of Aryabhatta

The role of science and technology is momentous in national development. In the past 75 years, there have been several advancements in the field of science and technology that have touched the lives of common people. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has done a tremendous amount of work in applying satellite technology for communication, remote sensing and weather predictions. When scientific research was last combined with favourable public policies, it made India self-sufficient in production of food and milk i.e., Green Revolution and White Revolution.

Since the world is still suffering from the pandemic, the only way through is mass vaccination. Science has made it possible to formulate vaccines in such a short period of time. India is known as ‘The Pharmacy of the World.’ Indian companies are supplying affordable drugs and vaccines to not only developing but also to the developed nations. The Indian Government needs to invest in R&D to enlarge domestic capabilities in science and technology.

United by Emotion

India's first Olympic gold post-Independence was in 1948, at the London Olympics. Kashabha Jadhav became India’s first individual Olympic medalist by winning a bronze in wrestling at the 1952, Helsinki Games. For the five decades, Indian Hockey team excelled at the global stage through tremendous displays of skill and wile. Recently, they won a medal in the Tokyo Olympics for the first time after 1980. It doesn't end there; India won several medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, warming the hearts of Indians all over the world.

Be it the 1983 World cup win, Abhinav Bindra’s 2008 Gold in shooting, P.V Sindhu’s 2016 Silver in badminton or the 2020 Olympic Gold Neeraj Chopra captured in Javelin Throw, the emotion has remained united. The rising level of India’s performance in sport is well evident now and the sport bodies should be acknowledged as they have played a pivotal role in training athletes with foreign coaches and world class equipment. It is due to comprehensive training and support that the best Indian Sportspersons are now able to compete in global championships.

Way forward

India is aggressively working towards establishing itself as a leader in industrialisation and technological development. Significant developments in the nuclear energy sector are likely as India looks to expand its nuclear capacity. India is also exploring ways to use nanotechnology in the pharmaceutical industry. The agricultural sector is also likely to undergo a major revamp with the government investing heavily for a technology-driven Green Revolution. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch its first Indian human mission by 2022.

Recently, the indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) 1 i.e., INS Vikrant completed its sea trials. India has demonstrated the capacity and self-reliance to build what is considered to be one of the most advanced and complex battleships in the world. The Defense Ministry has set a target of 70% of self-reliance in weaponry by 2027. Indian Government has introduced Green Channel Status Policy (GCS) to promote and encourage private sector investments in defense production which will foster private sector role in defense production.

So far, India has always came up from the lowest and even today after being worsely hit by the pandemic, it is still striving to grow and recover out of it. Also, the citizens of India should be duly acknowledged for always standing in solidarity with the country in every problem.

Thus all this, aptly justifies our Independence Day theme, 'Nation First, Always First'.