Obliquely referring to those who simply raise slogans hailing mother India and do nothing to serve the nation, Minister for Medical Education and Kalaburagi in-charge Sharan Prakash Patil today held that loving other citizens, creating conducive atmosphere for people with different socio-cultural backgrounds to peacefully coexist and protecting constitutional values such as democracy and secularism are real signs of patriotism.
Addressing a public gathering after unfurling the tricolour to mark 71st Independence celebrations at the police parade grounds here, the Minister said that nation building was not the task of political class and bureaucratic apparatus, but the responsibility of every citizen as well.
“Some often say that we have achieved nothing in the last 70 years. It is true that we could have done better. But it doesn’t mean that we have achieved nothing. Ask the old people how India was impoverished soon after Independence and compare it with today’s relatively developed state,” he said.
Hailing the freedom movement, Mr. Patil said that countless patriots whose names were not known to anybody had heroically fought the British and laid down their lives for the sake of freedom.
Reiterating his government’s commitment to social justice and pro-people governance, Mr. Patil said that popular programmes such as Anna Bhagya had greatly benefited the impoverished. He termed the amendment to the Constitution for inserting Article 371(J) that provides special status to Hyderabad Karnataka region a historical achievement. The Article was serving its purpose by enabling the government to develop the backward region. “We had promised that 30,000 vacancies in various departments in Hyderabad Karnataka region would be filled. We have already filled 20,000. The remaining would be filled before our term ends.”
Super-specialty hospital
Mr. Patil said that his government would establish a super-specialty hospital in Kalaburagi for offering healthcare services to ordinary people at affordable costs.
