Ontario Premier attends India's Republic Day function

Despite freezing cold, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne joined Indo-Canadians to celebrate India's 66th Republic Day and commended the country's economic and technological advances.
"On January 26, 1950, the constitution of India came into effect, proclaiming India to be a sovereign, democratic republic. With each Republic day, we are minded of the impressive strides India has made since this pivotal date," the Ontario Premier said.
Commending the contributions made by the Indo-Canadians, Ontario Premier said, "today, Indians and those of Indian descent are making their mark in every field of endeavour, in every corner of the world. In Ontario, Indo-Canadians have distinguished themselves in business, in the arts, in academe- and in every sphere of our province's life."

"As Premier, I am grateful for Indo-Canadians' contributions to building Ontario. Our government looks forward to continuing to work with you as we build a fair and prosperous Ontario," she added.
Akhilesh Mishra, Consul General at the Indian Consulate in Toronto, unfurled the Indian national tricolour which was followed by the singing of the national anthem. Mishra read out the message of President of India Pranab Mukherjee to nation, on the eve of Republic Day in Hindi and English.
He said, "The anniversary of Republic Day is an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable achievements of 1.25 billion Indians united and guided by the Constitution of India. It is also an occasion for all Indians to rededicate themselves to the values and ideals enshrined in the constitution."

"As a sovereign, independent and democratic republic, India stands at a cusp of a historic socio-economic and technological transformation. Already the third largest economy in purchasing power parity terms, India is expected to be the fastest growing major economy by 2017, he said.

"The formation of a stable, majority government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought a new confidence, a new mindset in India and a paradigm shift in approach to governance and economic development.
"In a short period of time, the new government has successfully launched major initiatives for transparent, efficient and easy governance; financial and digital inclusion; sanitation; development of next generation infrastructure and creation of predictable and business friendly policy regime to facilitate manufacturing in India," Mishra added.

A large number of Indo-Canadians gathered at the Indian Consulate premises last morning to celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of the Indian constitution. It was for the first time Ontario Premier attended the function.