PM Narendra Modi to deliver extempore address on Independence Day

New Delhi: Breaking from tradition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak extempore when he delivers his first Independence Day address from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort on Friday in which he is expected to outline his vision and agenda for his tenure. [caption id=“attachment_1665089” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI[/caption] Government sources said Modi will have written points on which he will build his address. A big team of officials from Press Information Bureau, along with translators, have been lined up for immediate conversion of the address into a written transcript. Traditionally, the Prime Ministers read out a prepared text while addressing the nation on the Independence Day. However, Modi is known to deliver speeches extempore. In his address, the Prime Minister is expected to outline his vision and spell out the agenda in terms of programmes and policies to be implemented during his tenure. He is also expected to speak on issues related to foreign policy. Modi is expected to unveil an ambitious financial inclusion scheme to provide bank accounts to 15 crore poor persons with an overdraft facility of Rs 5,000 and accident insurance of Rs 1 lakh. The-two phase Financial Inclusion Mission, which has been approved by the Union Cabinet, will be launched by Modi in the national capital at the end of this month, sources said. The government is gearing up to operationalise the scheme across the country on 28 or 29 August, they added. The scheme, to be pushed by the government in a mission mode, seeks to provide two accounts to 7.5 crore identified households by August 2018. PTI