“Peace accords in troubled regions of the country like Assam, Punjab, Mizoram and Tripura were made possible by his statesmanship that put national interest over the immediate interests of his party,” he said.”He (Gandhi) had a vision for societal applications of science and technology that were reflected in the impactful technology missions in drinking water supply, immunisation, literacy, oilseeds production and telecom and dairy development,” Ramesh said.In 1985, 1,65,000 villages that did not have easy access to any potable water source were identified and by 1989, 1,62,000 of these villages had been provided with at least one safe source of drinking water, he said.Facilities to manufacture the oral polio vaccine were set up, he recalled.The first direct steps to make India a software export powerhouse were taken during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure, Ramesh said.Institutions that are now doing the country proud, like C-DAC, were established in the late 1980s and financial institutions like the National Housing Bank and the Small Industries Development Bank of India came into being, the Congress leader pointed out.The New Education Policy of 1986, anchored in progressive values, bore his personal imprint. Today’s Navodaya Vidyalayas emerged from this initiative.”The voting age was reduced to 18 years and Swami Vivekananda’s birthday was declared as National Youth Day,” Ramesh said.Article 243 of the Constitution is a tribute to Rajiv Gandhi’s fierce commitment to empowering elected panchayats and nagar palikas, he said.Today, we have over 3 million elected representatives in these institutions of self-government, of whom over 40% are women.”We recall not just a Prime Minister today but also a very fine and caring human being who bore no malice, showed no vindictiveness, sought no revenge, indulged in no bombast and self-glory and exhibited no qualities of self-delusion,” he added.Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal also paid tributes to Rajiv Gandhi.”Snatched away from us too soon, he was a visionary whose reforms prepared India for the 21st century. In a single tenure, he set an example for how India should be governed across fields, be it foreign policy, defence, economic reform, or deepening democracy,” Venugopal said.”His values will forever guide us in our actions and his absence will always be felt,” he said.The Congress, in a post of X, said, “Today, we pay tribute to the visionary leader and Bharat Ratna Shri Rajiv Gandhi ji, who ushered in an era of modern technology, women and youth empowerment.””Rajiv Gandhi’s commitment to constitutional values of secularism, unity and a progressive India continues to guide us in our dedication to building a prosperous and inclusive nation,” the party said.
Source link
