Will achieve Viksit Bharat: PM’s dream big pitch from Red Fort

New Delhi, Aug 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday declared the firm resolution to transform the country into a fully developed nation by 2047, compelling the world to recognize India’s immense courage and capability.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of 80th Independence Day, the Prime Minister expressed deep solidarity with citizens affected by recent severe floods and landslides, the Prime Minister assured them of the nation’s unwavering support in these trying times. “I assure the affected families that we and the entire country stand firmly with them in their sorrow and pain,” affirmed Modi.
Emphasizing the foundational principles of national greatness, the Prime Minister asserted that true accomplishment is achieved only when a nation relies on its own aspirations and robust capabilities. “Any nation becomes great and achieves its goals when it moves forward on the pure strength of its dreams and resolutions,” noted Modi.
Urging the citizens to discard small ambitions in favor of expansive visions that broaden national horizons, the Prime Minister explained that firm resolve naturally generates the strength to navigate through crises. “When the resolution is firm, the capability to find ways through disasters emerges automatically,” observed Modi.
Announcing a monumental national vision, the Prime Minister declared the firm resolution to transform the country into a fully developed nation by 2047, compelling the world to recognize India’s immense courage and capability. “With the hard work of 140 crore countrymen, we will definitely make a Viksit Bharat by the 100th year of independence,” asserted Modi.
Presenting a detailed report card of India’s progress across manufacturing, digital growth, and citizen delivery over the past 12 years, the Prime Minister highlighted that defence production increased nearly 4 times, Khadi and Village Industries grew 5 times, electronics manufacturing expanded nearly 7 times, railway coach production surged 21 times, and mobile phone manufacturing increased 33 times. In digital innovation, internet consumers grew 4 times, patent grants increased 4 times, and digital transactions rose 100 times, while basic amenities accelerated through tap water connections delivering 15 times faster, LPG connections expanding 6 times faster, toilets constructed 4 times faster, pucca houses built 3 times faster, and hundreds of obsolete laws being abolished. “When so many massive accomplishments are before us, the resolution to become a Viksit Bharat can never remain unfulfilled,” asserted Modi.
Stressing the absolute necessity of robust self-reliance and national pride, the Prime Minister firmly rejected the notion of depending on cheap foreign imports, advocating instead for initiatives that actively build powerful domestic capabilities. “We must systematically increase our own capabilities and securely protect our own interests ourselves,” affirmed Modi.
Reflecting on the turbulent journey toward the 2047 developmental goals and navigating severe global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia, the Prime Minister commended India’s tested resilience and sharply criticized fear-mongers who spread malicious rumors, proudly noting that proactive planning and robust preparations ensured complete domestic stability. “The country clearly saw that our well-thought-out plans brought results, and today we are standing completely strong on our own power,” affirmed Modi.
Dismissing past critics of self-reliance, the Prime Minister observed a massive global paradigm shift where nations are increasingly weaponizing essential resources, proving the absolute necessity of building robust domestic resilience over the last decade. “If we had not firmly moved in the right direction taking the powerful mantra of self-reliance, how would we have strongly faced such massive challenges,” remarked Modi.
Attributing the nation’s soaring international respect to a stable political mandate and vibrant democracy, the Prime Minister highlighted that this recognized domestic stability has successfully facilitated Free Trade Agreements with around 40 countries post-2014, opening massive export opportunities across agriculture, fisheries, textiles, and MSMEs.
Highlighting ‘Technology and Innovation’ as the vital third stream, the Prime Minister stressed that India must transcend being merely a global market to become the ultimate hub of innovation across cutting-edge fields like AI, quantum computing, space, advanced robotics, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and Made-in-India 6G.
Positioning the youth at the absolute center of national transformation, the Prime Minister affirmed that young Indians are both the primary architects and the ultimate beneficiaries of this rapid progress, stressing that the entire journey toward a developed nation must be inextricably linked to their empowerment. “We absolutely have to take the goal of a Viksit Bharat forward by aggressively connecting it with the youth as our highest priority,” affirmed Modi.
Announcing a massive initiative to secure absolute global dominance in emerging technologies, the Prime Minister made a major announcement from the Red Fort to formally train one crore youth in Artificial Intelligence skills within the coming year.
Addressing the severe national crisis of substance abuse, the Prime Minister declared a drug-free India as a massive collective responsibility vital for firmly securing the strength of the future generation, giving a clarion call for every family, NGO, and spiritual organization to unite under the Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan for a comprehensive 100-week nationwide anti-drug campaign. “I want to tell every family to become an active part of this campaign and come aggressively forward to fulfill the dream of a drug-free India,” asserted Modi.
Reflecting on the devastating, four-decade-long reign of violent extremism that completely ruined millions of futures, the Prime Minister honored the sacrifice of over 3,500 security personnel and proudly declared that Naxalism has been decisively dismantled, with such insurgencies now replaced entirely by a massive surge of regional development and trust flourishing in liberated areas. “Today in those very regions, due to being completely free from extremism, the Tricolor of massive development, trust, and effort is proudly fluttering,” affirmed Modi.
Issuing a stark warning regarding sensitive internal security, the Prime Minister urged the nation to remain highly vigilant against ideological subversion and subversive elements that had historically infiltrated the corridors of power to maliciously influence national policies. “We must not underestimate this challenge, we urgently need to be even more careful regarding this,” asserted Modi.
Highlighting the emerging, insidious threat posed by ideological extremists who persistently continue to seek opportunities for violence and anarchy, the Prime Minister called for a massive, highly coordinated effort to identify and properly isolate these disruptive elements. “We will absolutely have to identify these ideological extremists, isolate them, and actively connect the young generation towards the mainstream,” affirmed Modi.
Urging young citizens to actively spearhead this digital census drive, the Prime Minister firmly advised them to sit with their families, meticulously fill out forms to eliminate manual errors, and seamlessly upload the flawless data online. “I strongly urge the youth of my country to actively and heavily join in this incredibly important work of the digital census,” affirmed Modi.
Concluding his Independence Day address by reiterating the Panch Pran, the Prime Minister issued a triumphant call for every citizen to permanently elevate national interest above self-interest, eradicate a colonial mindset, and work collectively to rapidly transform grand dreams into the undeniable success of a developed nation. “Let us forcefully make every step a step of development, match step with step, and together aggressively make a Viksit Bharat,” affirmed Modi.