India@75: Sainik schools now open for girls also, says PM Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced that all Sainik Schools in the country will now be open for girls also. At present, 33 Sainik schools are operating in the country.

During his Independence Day speech on Sunday, the Prime Minister said that two-and-a-half years ago, the maiden experiment of admitting girls in Sainik schools was carried out in Mizoram. "Now, the government has decided that all the Sainik schools in the country will also be open for the daughters of the country," the PM said.

What are Sainik Schools and how they are managed?

Sainik schools are run by the Sainik Schools Society which is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence. The aim of establishing Sainik schools was to prepare the students from an early age for their entry into the Indian armed forces.

While addressing the nation from the fortified ramparts of the historic Red Fort, PM Modi also possibly delivered his second-longest speech.

The PM spoke on a wide range of issues and, while sharing his vision and the roadmap for the country, he made several big announcements in his nearly one hour and 27 minutes long speech. This was PM Modi’s 8th Independence Day address to the nation.

Noting India`s development journey in the past 7 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said political will is required to bring in big changes and reforms.

Addressing from Red Fort on 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister said today, the world can see that there is no dearth of political will in India. "Political will is required to bring in big changes, big reforms. Today, the world can see that there is no dearth of political will in India. Good and smart governance is needed to bring reforms. The world is a witness to how India is writing a new chapter of governance," noted PM Modi.

He said the government`s priority will be to ensure that all services reach the last person seamlessly. "For the all-round development of the nation, it is essential to end the unnecessary interference of government and government procedures in the lives of people," he stated. 

PM Modi noted that earlier, the government was sitting in the driver`s seat. "Maybe it was needed at that time. But the time has changed now. Efforts have increased in the last seven years to free the people from the web of unnecessary laws and procedures. Several unnecessary laws have been scrapped so far," he said.

Talking about the development journey of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh after the abrogation of Article 370, the Prime Minister said, "The balance of development is now visible on the ground in Jammu or Kashmir. Delimitation Commission has been constituted in Jammu and Kashmir and preparations are on for Assembly elections in the future."

"On the one hand, Ladakh is witnessing the creation of modern infrastructure, while on the other hand, Indus Central University will make Ladakh a centre of higher education," he added.