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TN
Rameswaram
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged the people to work together to fulfil former president A P J Abdul Kalam's dream of seeing a developed India by 2022 when it celebrates its 75th Independence Day.
"There are 125 crore people and if each one takes one step, then the country would be 125 crore steps ahead,"he told a public meeting near this island, the home town of the late 'Missle Man', after inaugurating his national memorial. Various schemes launched by central government whether it was"Stand up India or Start up India, 'Amrut'cities or smart cities or Clean India projects would go a long way in realising Kalam's dream of"developed India", he said.
In a reference to epic 'Ramayana', Modi said even a small squirrel had helped Lord Ram in constructing the 'Ramasethu'(bridge) for him to cross over to Sri Lanka.
"If people are committed like that squirrel, the country can scale great heights,"Modi said addressing a gathering at Mandapam, about 15 kms from here. He urged the youth and pilgrims visiting this holy town to include a visit to Kalam's memorial, designed and built by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with which the former president was associated with for a long time. Modi heaped praise on labourers involved in the construction of the memorial, saying they had not charged for the extra two hours they had put in every day.
