In her maiden national address on the eve of 75th anniversary of India's independence, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday said that it should be a collective resolve of the citizens to fully realise the dream of our freedom fighters by 2047, when the country will celebrate a century of years as an independent nation.

Murmu, who assumed the country's highest office on July 25, also lauded India's fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. “When the world was suffering due to economic consequences of the pandemic, India got itself back on track, and is again moving forward at a rapid pace. At present, it is one of the fastest growing major economies in the world,” she said.

She also lauded the national Covid-19 vaccination drive, which, last month, achieved the historic landmark of 2 billion (200 crore) doses.

The country's fifteenth President – and the second woman to hold the top post – further remarked that while in most democratic countries, women had to undergo a long struggle for their right to vote, India, since the very beginning, adopted universal adult suffrage (right to vote for every citizen who is aged 18 or above).

President Murmu described India's daughters as the biggest hope of the nation.

“From becoming fighter pilots to space scientists, our daughters are scaling great heights,” she said.

(With inputs from agencies)