New Delhi – Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 78th Independence Day address from the historic Red Fort, urged the nation to embrace self-reliance and swadeshi as the guiding principles to make India globally competitive amid rising protectionism worldwide. In his longest Independence Day speech to date, Modi appealed to all political parties and citizens to put their full strength behind building a developed and self-sufficient India.
Declaring self-reliance as an “essential condition” for a developed India, Modi vowed that the country would never compromise on the interests of farmers, weaker sections, livestock rearers, and fishermen. “We will strengthen ourselves through swadeshi and compel others to take note,” he said, sending a strong message to countries applying trade pressure on India.
The Prime Minister unveiled several new initiatives, including:
- Pradhan Mantri Vikasheel Bharat Rozgar Yojana for youth employment
- Mission Sudarshan Chakra to secure military and civilian installations
- A high-powered mission to tackle illegal infiltration
- Next-generation GST reforms
- A task force to drive reforms towards a $10 trillion economy
- Development of indigenous fighter jet engines
- Expansion of nuclear power capacity
- Samudra Manthan deep-sea exploration for oil and gas
He highlighted the success of the Semiconductor Mission, announcing that microchip manufacturing would begin in India this year. In the space sector, Modi reaffirmed India’s determination to launch the Gaganyaan mission independently and build its own space station.
Issuing a stern warning to Pakistan, Modi said India would no longer succumb to nuclear threats and that the armed forces had full freedom to act against terrorism. He described the Indus Waters Treaty as unjust, declaring that India would not accept it in its current form.
The Prime Minister appealed to shopkeepers to display signs reading “Swadeshi goods sold here” and lauded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on its centenary year for its contribution to nation-building.
Recalling his earlier Panch Pran pledge, Modi said, “For a developed India, we will neither stop nor bow down; we will work to the utmost and see a developed India by 2047.” Calling unity the country’s most powerful mantra, he vowed not to let the thread of national solidarity break.
Ending his speech with the lines, “Those who burned in the fire of hard work have created history. Those who broke iron mountains have bent time itself — and this is the right time to bend it again,” Modi urged every Indian to seize the moment and commit themselves fully to the nation’s progress.
