New Delhi: In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi highlighted India’s transformation over the last 12 years, outlining the progress made across manufacturing, digital infrastructure, basic amenities, energy security, youth empowerment, innovation, social security and other key sectors.
Key highlights from the Prime Minister’s address include:
1.Manufacturing: Scale and Self-Reliance
Over the last 12 years Defence production has increased nearly 4 times.
Khadi and Village Industries production has increased nearly 5 times.
Electronics manufacturing has increased nearly 7 times.
Modern railway coach production has increased 21 times.
Mobile phone production has increased 35 times.
2. Digital India and Innovation
The Prime Minister highlighted the rapid expansion of India’s digital and innovation ecosystem. Internet consumers have increased nearly 4 times.
Patent grants have increased 4 times.
Digital transactions have increased around 100 times.India has built a significantly larger digital and innovation ecosystem.
3. Faster Delivery of Basic Amenities
The Prime Minister highlighted the faster pace at which basic facilities are reaching ordinary citizens.
Tap-water connections have been provided at an average annual pace nearly 15 times faster.
LPG connections have been provided at an annual pace nearly 6 times faster.
Toilets for the poor have been constructed at an annual pace nearly 4 times faster.
Pucca houses for the poor have been provided at an annual pace nearly 3 times faster.
Hundreds of obsolete laws have been abolished.
Modern public transport, including metro systems, has reached several more cities.
4. Building the Semiconductor Ecosystem
The Prime Minister highlighted India’s progress in building domestic semiconductor capabilities. India earlier had no major semiconductor manufacturing plant.
A complete semiconductor ecosystem is now being built in India.
Three semiconductor plants have been initiated.
India has also started exporting chips.
5. Securing Critical Minerals
Highlighting the importance of critical minerals for emerging technologies, the Prime Minister referred to the steps being taken to strengthen India’s capabilities in this sector.
National Critical Mineral Mission has been launched.
Critical Mineral Corridor has been announced in the Budget.
Agreements have been signed with several countries for critical mineral supplies.
6.Strengthening Energy Security
The Prime Minister underlined that energy security is an essential condition for building a developed India, particularly as technologies such as chips, AI and data centres require huge quantities of electricity. Underlining the role of nuclear energy, the Prime Minister highlighted The SHANTI Act as a major reform in the nuclear energy sector.
India crossing an important milestone in Fast Breeder Nuclear Technology.
The potential of the technology to play a major role in making India self-reliant in nuclear fuel.
7. Expanding Oil and Gas Exploration
The Prime Minister highlighted the change in India’s approach towards offshore exploration. Nearly 99% of India’s offshore area was earlier classified as a No-Go Area.
The approach has now changed from No-Go Area to Go Ahead Area.
Previously restricted areas have been opened for exploration.
This has created possibilities for discovering new oil and gas reserves.
8. Energy Diversification
The Prime Minister highlighted the rapid expansion in different sources of energy.
9. Railways: Electrification and Future Fuels
The Prime Minister highlighted the transformation of Indian Railways. In 2014, after nearly 90 years, only around 30% of the railway network had been electrified.
Today, Indian Railways has moved towards near-complete electrification.
India has started work on its first Made-in-India hydrogen train.
It is being developed as the world’s longest and most powerful hydrogen train.
10. India’s Resilience During Global Crises
The Prime Minister said that the capabilities built over the last 10–12 years were tested during COVID-19 pandemic.
Russia-Ukraine war.
Conflicts in West Asia.
11. Expanding Social Security
The Prime Minister highlighted the expansion of social security coverage. Before 2014, around 25 crore people were covered by social security.
Today, around 100 crore Indians are covered by one or another social security scheme.
12. Ayushman Bharat
The Prime Minister highlighted the financial relief provided to families through Ayushman Bharat. Beneficiary families have avoided an estimated ₹2 lakh crore in medical expenditure.
