Embassy Of India Riga, Latvia

Distinguished guests from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia,

Mr. Ivars Lasis, Deputy State Secretary and Political director

Ms. Katarina Platere, Director General Bilateral Relations

The first Ambassador of Latvia to India, Mr. Aivars Groza

Foreign Policy Advisor to the Mayor of Riga, Ms. Sarmite Danne

     My dear Fellow Indians, and the friends of India in Latvia,

It is a day of utmost pride and honour for me today, to, as the first resident ambassador of India to Latvia, welcome you all at our Independence Day celebrations – our embassy’s first one! India opened its embassy in July 2024. Opening of our Embassy in Latvia is a mark of our growing friendly and strong relations with Latvia on all fronts. Today, as we celebrate India's independence day, we also cherish India-Latvia relations.

I extend my heartiest greetings to all my fellow Indians in Latvia, who were also patiently looking forward towards opening of the Indian Embassy in Latvia, and are joining us today in the celebrations of the Independence Day, at the Embassy’s premises.

Dear Friends,

On the occasion of 79th Independence it is my pleasure to share the excerpts from the speeches of our Hon'ble President Smt. Draupadi Murmu and vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi under whose visionary leadership the India, that we are today, and are working on making it Viksit by 2047 when the Indians would be celebrating the 100^th year of their independence.

The Independence Day and Republic Day are the days that especially remind us of our being the proud Indians. 15^th August is a date etched in our collective memory, when every Indian from all parts of the country fought for Mother India’s freedom from the years of foreign rule. Their struggle was marked by robust optimism, which has continued to propel our progress since Independence till date. As we salute the tricolour today, we also pay homage to the memory of all freedom fighters whose sacrifices earned India, Independence on the 15^th of August, 78 years ago.

Looking back at the past and our freedom struggle, we also remember the pain inflicted by the Partition of the country. Terrible violence was witnessed, and millions were forced to relocate due to Partition. On 14^th August we observed Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas, the partition remembrance day, and paid tributes to the victims of the follies of history.

After regaining our freedom, we also became a democratic republic country, when we adopted our constitution, and the people of India put the power to shape the destiny of our nation in our hands through democratic processes and institutions. In spite of many challenges, the people of India made a successful transition to democracy. We value our Constitution and our democracy above everything else.

Dear Fellow Citizens,

Our Constitution contains four values as the four pillars upholding our democracy. They are - justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. These are our civilizational principles that we re-discovered during the Freedom Struggle. At the heart of them all, is the notion of human dignity. Every human being is equal, and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. Everyone should have equal opportunity.

Keeping these principles foremost in mind, we started a new journey in 1947 of nation-building. Long years of foreign rule left India in utter poverty at the time of Independence. But in the 78 years since then, we have made extraordinary progress in all fields, which today all of us are proud of. India is well on the way to becoming a self-reliant nation in all spheres, and is moving ahead with great confidence.

On the economic front, with a GDP growth rate of 6.5 percent in the last fiscal year, India maintained its position as the fastest growing among the major economies in the world. Even amid stress in the global economy, demand at home is pacing ahead. Inflation has remained under control. Exports are rising. This is as much due to carefully calibrated reforms undertaken by the Government and careful economic management, as much due to the hard work and dedication of our professionals, workers and farmers.

As rightly stated by the Hon'ble President, development serves the purpose only when it helps those on the margins and opens new opportunities for them. Therefore there is an equal emphasis on betterment of the lives of the common people, improving the ease of doing business as well as on improving the ease of living.

A large number of people have been pulled out of poverty through good governance and a series of welfare initiatives. This is reflected in the rising expenditure on social services. Income inequality is reducing. Regional disparities are also disappearing. The States and regions, earlier known for weaker economic performance, are now showing true potential and catching up with the front-runners.

The Government is paying special attention to the rapidly urbanizing country, to improve the conditions of the cities. This includes the city transport. The number of cities with a metro rail service has gone up multifold in a decade.  AMRUT, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, has ensured more and more households have access to clean drinking water and  a sewerage facilities.

The Government considers the basic amenities of life as rightful claims of the citizens. The Jal Jeevan Mission is making progress in providing tap water supply to rural households.

In the healthcare sector, we have been witnessing a paradigm shift with a variety of initiatives under Ayushman Bharat, the largest healthcare scheme of its kind in the world. This scheme has already provided cover to more than 55 crore people. The government extended this benefit to all senior citizens of the age of 70 years and above, regardless of their income. As inequalities in access are removed, the poor and the lower middle-class also benefit from the best possible health-care facilities.

Our business leaders, small and medium industries and traders have always exhibited a robust spirit. The government facilitated this spirit and their initiatives by removing the bottlenecks in the path of wealth creation. This is particularly visible in infrastructure development over the past decade. We have expanded and strengthened the National Highway network under the Bharatmala Pariyojana. The Railways have innovated, introducing trains and coaches equipped with latest technologies. The inauguration of the rail link in Kashmir valley is a major accomplishment, which will boost trade and tourism in the region and open new economic possibilities. This engineering marvel at Kashmir is a historic milestone for our country.

In this Digital Age, it is apt that one sector in India that has seen the most dramatic advances is information technology. Nearly all villages have 4G mobile connectivity, and the remaining few thousands will be covered soon. This has made possible large-scale adoption of digital payment technologies, an area where India has become a world leader in a short span. It has also supported Direct Benefit Transfer, which ensures that welfare benefits reach the intended beneficiaries without any leakages. More than half of the total number of digital transactions in the world take place in India. These developments have created a vibrant digital economy whose contribution to the country’s GDP is increasing year on year.

Artificial intelligence is the next stage of technological advancement and has already entered our lives. The government has launched the India-AI mission to strengthen the country’s AI capabilities. As we aspire to become a global-AI-hub by 2047, our focus remains on making the best use of the advances in technology for the common people, to improve their lives by improving governance.

While already having achieved in 2025 the target of increasing clean energy to 50%, five years in advance from the target year 2030, India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, Samudra Manthan – India’s National Deep Water Exploration Mission, and work progressing on 10 new nuclear reactors, is envisioned to make India self-sufficient in meeting energy needs of its 1.4 billion citizens. India also launched a National Critical Minerals Mission with explorations underway in more than 1200 locations, to meet the need of growing energy, industry and technology sectors.

Moreover, we are increasing our self-reliance in every area possible. This spirit has boosted the momentum of our journey towards becoming Viksit Bharat. Last week, on August 7, the country celebrated ‘National Handloom Day’ which honours our weavers and their products. Since the year 2015, we have been celebrating this day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement launched during our freedom struggle in the year 1905. The spirit of Swadeshi was launched by Mahatma Gandhi to promote the products made by our artisans and crafts-persons, has been inspiring our national endeavours like Make-in-India initiative and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Let us resolve to buy and use Indian products.

Dear Fellow Citizens,

The all-round economic growth complemented by social sector initiatives has placed India well on the path of becoming a developed economy by 2047. youth, women and the communities that had for long remained on the margins are today steering the growth of the country, as much are our businessmen.

Our youth have finally found the right environment for the realisation of their dreams. The National Education Policy has brought in far-reaching changes, aligning learning with values, as well as making ready for the market and the industry. Employment opportunities are booming. Entrepreneurs today have the most conducive ecosystem to fulfill their dreams. Fueled by young minds, our space program has witnessed unprecedented expansion. Indian astronaut Mr. Shubhanshu Shukla’s space journey to the International Space Station has fired a whole generation to dream big. India is all set for its upcoming human space flight program, ‘Gaganyaan’. Brimming with a new confidence, our youth are making a mark in sports and games. Chess, for example, is now dominated by India’s youngsters like never before. We foresee transformative changes which will establish India as a global sporting power-house under the vision contained in the National Sports Policy 2025.

The gender gap in education and employment has also been reducing. With ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, the empowerment of women is no longer a slogan but a reality. Citizens from the sections of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and other communities are no longer marginalized but are part of India’s growth story.

India is moving ahead at a faster pace towards realizing its true potential. We are moving ahead towards the future with sustained good governance, and zero tolerance for corruption.

Dear Fellow Citizens,

This year we had to face the scourge of terrorism. Killing innocent citizens on holiday in Kashmir on the basis of religion was cowardly and utterly inhuman. India responded in a decisive manner and with unwavering resolve. Operation Sindoor showed that our armed forces are prepared to meet any eventuality when it comes to guarding the nation. With strategic clarity and technical capability, they destroyed terrorist hubs across the border.

Operation Sindoor is now India’s new security doctrine, to guard our national security and integrity.

Operation Sindoor also demonstrated our unity with pride, which is also the most befitting response to those who want to divide us. Our unity was on display also in the multi-party delegations of the Members of Parliament that reached out to various nations to carrying India’s resolve for protecting its national security. The world has taken note of India’s position, that India is a peace-loving country, it will not be the aggressor, but it will not hesitate to retaliate in defence of our citizens. One of the all-party parliamentary delegations also paid visit to Latvia. We are thankful to the Government and Leadership of Latvia for understanding our position of zero-tolerance for terrorism and India’s new security doctrine.

Operation Sindoor was also a test case of the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission in the defence sector. The outcome has proved that we are on the right path. Our indigenous manufacturing has achieved the critical level that makes us self-sufficient in meeting many of our security requirements. These are landmark achievements in India’s defence history since Independence.

Dear fellow Indian citizens and friends of India in Latvia,

This day is a day to pay tribute and say thanks to all who work tirelessly for protecting our borders as well as maintain the internal security - the soldiers from the armed forces and the para-military guarding our borders, and the Police and Central Armed Police Forces protecting our internal security – a salute to all.

On behalf of the Hon’ble President and the Prime Minister of India, I extend the special greetings to all our brothers and sisters from the Indian diaspora in Latvia. Indian diaspora, the bridge between their country of residence and motherland, is our strength.

I am proud and thankful to the Indian diaspora in Latvia, who held India’s flag high representing India till India’s resident Mission was established. And now, the Indian Mission is here for all our Indian brothers and sisters. Growing presence of India’s robust businesspersons and bright students contributing both to India and Latvia, is one of the key strengths of our bilateral relations, and the foundation on which our new resident mission will take our people-to-people relations ahead.

I once again extend my greetings for Independence Day, and will conclude with our Prime Minister’s wishes in Hindi - "आप सभी को स्वतंत्रता दिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं। मेरी कामना है कि यह सुअवसर सभी देशवासियों के जीवन में नया जोश और नई स्फूर्ति लेकर आए, जिससे विकसित भारत के निर्माण को नई गति मिले।!"

Thank you

Paldies

Jai Hind!

Jai Bharat!

Ms. Namrata S. Kumar

Ambassador of India to Latvia