78th Independence Day speech

In his 78th Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Modi outlined a series of futuristic goals aimed at shaping India's growth, driving innovation, and positioning the country as a global leader across various sectors.

Key points from the Prime Minister's address include:

• Viksit Bharat 2047: The ‘Viksit Bharat’ initiative aims to make India a developed nation by 2047, with public input playing a crucial role in shaping this vision, particularly in areas like manufacturing and traditional medicine.
• Ease of Living Mission: PM Modi outlined his vision to fulfil 'Ease of Living' on a mission mode. He spoke of enhancing the quality of life in urban areas through systematic assessments and improvements in infrastructure and services.
• Revival of Nalanda Spirit: The Prime Minister sought to revive the ancient Nalanda University spirit, positioning India as a global education hub by promoting higher learning and research. This builds on the inauguration of Nalanda University in 2024.
  • Nalanda University was established around 427 CE by Gupta Emperor Kumaragupta I. Later, it also received patronage from Harshavardhana and the Pala rulers. 
  • Founded 1600 years ago, Nalanda is recognized as the world's first residential university, pre-dating Oxford and Bologna by over 500 years.
  • Historical Travellers: Accounts from Chinese travelers like Hiuen-Tsang and I-Tsing provide detailed insights into the university's academic and cultural richness.
  • The ruins of Nalanda were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, underscoring its global historical significance.
• Made in India Chip-Semiconductor Production: PM Modi outlined India's commitment to becoming a global leader in semiconductor production, aiming to reduce dependency on imports and enhance technological self-sufficiency.
• Skill India: Referring to the Budget 2024, the Prime Minister highlighted landmark initiatives announced by the government to train India's youth and become the skill capital of the world.
• Hub of Industrial Manufacturing: PM Modi envisioned transforming India into a global manufacturing hub, leveraging its vast resources and skilled workforce.
• Defence manufacturing hub: India is emerging as a global hub for defence manufacturing, with the Prime Minister proudly stating that the country now has its own identity in this crucial sector.
• "Design in India, Design for the World":The Prime Minister exalted indigenous design capabilities and urged to create products that cater to both domestic and international markets, coining this phrase.
• Leader in Global Gaming Market:PM Modi said that India must leverage its rich ancient legacy and literature to come up with Made in India gaming products.
  • India is the largest gaming market in the world, boasting a user base of 568 million gamers and over 9.5 billion gaming app downloads in 2023.
• Green Jobs and Green Hydrogen Mission: PM Modi emphasized the importance of green jobs in India's efforts to combat climate change.  He stated that the focus of the country is now on green growth and green jobs, which will generate employment opportunities while contributing to environmental protection.
  • India’s emissions stem from pivotal sectors, with energy being the largest, as the country is reliant on coal for generating power. In this regard, green hydrogen is believed to be the way forward.
  • Green hydrogen is the hydrogen produced by splitting water by electrolysis using renewable energy.
  • The carbon intensity ultimately depends on the carbon neutrality of the source of electricity (i.e., the more renewable energy there is in the electricity fuel mix, the “greener” the hydrogen produced).
  • National Green Hydrogen Mission was approved in 2023 to make India a global hub for the production, usage, and export of green hydrogen and to achieve its goal to become aatmanirbhar through clean energy.
• Swasth Bharat Mission: PM said that to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047, India must tread the path ‘Swasth Bharat’ which has begun with the launch of Rashtriya Poshan Abhiyan.
  • The Swachh Bharat Mission, launched on 2nd October 2014 aims at making urban India free from open defecation and achieving 100% scientific management of municipal solid waste in 4,041 statutory towns in the country.
  •  The second phase of SBM was launched in 2021, for a period of 5 years.
• Climate Change Targets: The Prime Minister reiterated the India’s ambitious goal. He also noted that India has been the only country among the G20 nations to meet its Paris Accord goals.
  • India aims to reach net zero by 2070 (Government of India, 2022a).
  • By 2030, India will meet 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable sources.
  • India will decrease the total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030.
  • India will take its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by the end of 2030.
• Medical Education Expansion:  Plans has been announced to add 75,000 new medical seats in the next 5 years, aiming to enhance the country's medical education capacity and address the growing demand for healthcare professionals.