PM Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort as India entered 75th year of Independence.
This was his eighth consecutive Independence Day address. Prime Minister Modi addressed the nation after he unfurled the Tricolour at the Red Fort. There was no teleprompter and PM Modi had some notes he referred to while addressing the nation. There was also no security enclosure either.
Addressing the nation, Prime Minister Modi paid his homage to all the freedom fighters who gave their lives for this great nation. “I salute everyone who has played a key role in this glorious journey of our nation,” said Prime Minister Modi.
“I would like to begin by conveying greetings on this special occasion of Independence Day. This is a day to remember our great freedom fighters. Be it Vallabhbhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, or Jawaharlal Nehru, we are thankful to our leaders who brought Independence,” said PM Modi.
PM @narendramodi unfurls the Indian flag🇮🇳 from the Red Fort on the occasion of 75th #IndependenceDay #IndiaIndependenceDay #IndiaAt75 #AmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/GMktIt1tRQ
— PIB India (@PIB_India) August 15, 2021
Expressing his gratitude towards all frontline and healthcare workers who helped the country fight the Covid-19 pandemic, PM Modi said that the doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, sanitation workers, scientists and crores of citizens worked with a sense of service during the pandemic. He said all those who devoted every moment to serve others in this period deserve the country’s appreciation.
During COVID, our doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, sanitation workers, scientists who were developing vaccines & crores of citizens who were working with a sense of service -all those who devoted every moment to serve others in this period, deserve our appreciation: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/gufCd1fHOo
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2021
PM Modi also lauded the 2020 Olympic contingent saying, “The athletes who have made us proud at Tokyo Olympics are here amongst us today. I urge the nation to applaud their achievement today. They have not only won our hearts but also inspired future generations.”
I pay tribute to our #Tokyo2020 Olympians who made our nation proud. They have not only won our hearts but also inspired our young generation: PM @narendramodi
— PIB India (@PIB_India) August 15, 2021
at #IndiaIndependenceDay#IndiaIndependenceDay #IndiaAt75 #AmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/ATxzRelVi3
In his address, PM Modi remembered partition horrors and spoke about the decision of marking August 14 as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’.
“We have taken a decision to observe August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, to honour the pain and sufferings faced by the people of India during the partition. Yesterday India took an emotional decision; 14th August will be known as Partition Horror Remembrance Day,” PM Modi said in his address.
We celebrate Independence Day but the agony of partition still hurts the nation. This was one of the biggest tragedies of the last century.
— PIB India (@PIB_India) August 15, 2021
Yesterday India has taken an emotional decision, 14th August will be known as Partition Horror Rememberance Day: PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/ytnIxMdAkx
PM Modi also spoke about the Covid-19 vaccination programme of the country, saying that Indians have fought this battle with a lot of patience.
“We had many challenges, but we worked with extraordinary pace in every area. It’s a result of the strength of our industrialists & scientists that today India doesn’t need to depend on any other nation for vaccines,” the Prime Minister noted in his national address.
The Prime Minister said it is a moment of pride for the country that because of our scientists, we were able to develop two Make in India Covid-19 vaccines and carry out the world’s largest vaccine drive.
It is a moment of pride for us that because of our scientists, we were able to develop two #MakeInIndia #COVIDVaccines and carry out the world’s #LargestVaccineDrive: PM @narendramodi#IndiaIndependenceDay #IndiaAt75 #AmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/XRfc0kdCTO
— PIB India (@PIB_India) August 15, 2021
In his address, PM Modi said that India is running the largest Covid-19 vaccination program as more than 54 crore people have received vaccine doses so far.
We can proudly say that the largest COVID19 vaccination program is being run in India today. More than 54 crore people have received vaccine doses so far: PM Modi at Red Fort#IndiaAt75 pic.twitter.com/5V45a8QEFX
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2021
“A time comes in the development journey of every country when that nation defines itself from a new end when it takes itself forward with new resolutions. Today, that time has come in India’s development journey,” said Prime Minister Modi in his Independence Day speech.
A time comes in the development journey of every country when that nation defines itself from a new end, when it takes itself forward with new resolutions. Today, that time has come in India’s development journey: PM Narendra Modi #IndependenceDay pic.twitter.com/AzCWtPf8IA
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2021
PM Modi also set the 100th Independence Day as the target to fulfil the Atmanirbhar Bharat plan. “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayaas is very important for the achievement of all our goals,” he said, adding that the country has to move towards making 100 per cent efforts.
“We have to make sure that 100 per cent of villages have roads, 100 per cent of households have a bank account, 100 per cent of beneficiaries have Ayushman Bharat cards, and 100 per cent of eligible people have a gas connection under the Ujjwala scheme,” he added in his address.
‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas ‘and now ‘Sabka Prayas ‘is important in our journey of building the #AatmaNirbharBharat of our dreams: PM @narendramodi #IndiaIndependenceDay #IndiaAt75 #AmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/Z66zfte89C
— PIB India (@PIB_India) August 15, 2021
Highlighting the developmental initiatives of his government, PM Modi said that the benefits of many schemes that started in the last seven years had reached the doorsteps of crores of poor. From Ujjwala to Ayushman Bharat, the poor of the nation knows their (schemes’) strength, and today, government schemes have picked up the pace and are reaching their goals, he noted.
The Prime Minister also noted that it is essential to fully utilise the capabilities of India to take it to new heights in the 21st century, and to achieve this, the country has to hold hands of the section that is lagging behind, the area that is lagging behind.
“Besides caring about basic facilities, reservation for Dalits, backwards, tribals, economically weak sections of general category. Recently reservation was granted to OBCs, under the all-India quota, in medical education. States have been granted the right to make their own OBC lists,” Prime Minister Modi said in his speech.
Speaking on the issue of the government’s human development initiatives, PM Modi said that it is his government’s priority to take Poshan to every person, every poor person. The government has decided to provide fortified rice to the poor by 2024, the Prime Minister announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Sunday.
It is the government’s priority to take #Poshan to every person, every poor person; Government has decided to provide fortified rice to the poor
— PIB India (@PIB_India) August 15, 2021
by 2024 rice distributed under all Government schemes will be fortified rice pic.twitter.com/tKgWZ7R7L6
Highlighting the government’s initiatives in the health sector, Prime Minister Modi said that under the Jan Aushadhi Yojana, the poor and needy are now getting affordable medicines. In the last seven years, 75,000 Health and Wellness Centres have been built, and the government is working on a network of hospitals at the block level, said Prime Minister Modi.
Amid the prevailing situation of Covid-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, announced that hospitals in India would soon have their own oxygen plants.
Prime Minister Modi also said that a Delimitation Commission has been constituted in Jammu and Kashmir, and preparations are on for assembly elections in the future. During his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Modi noted that Ladakh is witnessing the creation of modern infrastructure, while on the other hand, Indus Central University will make Ladakh a centre of higher education.
On one hand, Ladakh is witnessing the creation of modern infrastructure, while on the other, ‘Sindhu Central University’ is going to make Ladakh a Centre of higher education: PM @narendramodi #IndiaIndependenceDay #IndiaAt75 #AmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/LIoTxdCUvJ
— PIB India (@PIB_India) August 15, 2021
Today we see our villages changing rapidly, said PM Modi, noting that facilities like road and electricity have reached villages in the past few years. In addition, the optical fibre network is providing the power of data to villages, the internet is reaching there, and digital entrepreneurs are getting ready in villages, too, he noted.
Speaking on the government’s initiatives in the Northeast region, Prime Minister said that a new history of connectivity is being written in the region, and the government is working on connecting all the state capitals of North-East with rail service, which will be completed very soon.
Calling small-scale farmers India’s pride, Modi, while advocating for their welfare, PM Modi said that the country has to deal with the fact that our farmers now have less land to cultivate on. He noted that more than 80% of our farmers have less than two hectares of land, adding that the government will have to focus on helping our small farmers.
“In the coming years, we will have to increase the collective power of the small farmers of the country. We have to give them new facilities. They must become the country’s pride,” Prime Minister Modi said.
In the coming years, we will have to increase the collective power of the small farmers of the country. We have to give them new facilities. They must become the country’s pride: PM Modi at Red Fort pic.twitter.com/oPT8e5eVza
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2021
In his speech, PM Modi spoke about challenges to help farmers as much as possible and said that his mantra is “Chhota Kisan bane Desh ki Shaan”.
“It’s our dream. But, in years to come, we have to further increase the collective strength of small farmers of the country, we will have to provide the new facilities, ” he said, announcing that “Kisan rail” will be started on more than 70 rail routes of the country today.
Our mantra is ‘Chhota kisan bane desh ki shaan’. It’s our dream. In yrs to come, we’ve to further increase the collective strength of small farmers of the country, we will have to provide them new facilities. ‘Kisan rail’ runs on more than 70 rail routes of the country today: PM pic.twitter.com/QXekg4cmWZ
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2021
The Prime Minister also launched the National Hydrogen Mission with the aim of making India the world’s largest exporter of gas. “India is the only nation that is on the path to meeting its climate goals. Green Hydrogen is the future of the world and I plan to make India the global hub,” he noted in his speech. ,
Saying that the country has moved towards a “people-centric approach” when it comes to bureaucracy, PM Modi said, “We have to stop the over-involvement of government in the form of complex policies. Today, we have destroyed over 15,000 unnecessary compliances. Political will is required to bring in big changes, big reforms. Today, the world can see that there is no dearth of political will in India. Good and smart governance is needed to bring reforms.”
The Prime Minister said that the priority would be to ensure that the services reach the last person seamlessly. “For the all-round development of the nation, it is essential to end the unnecessary interference of govt and government procedures in the lives of people,” he noted.
Our priority will be to ensure that the services reach the last person seamlessly. For the all-round development of the nation, it is essential to end the unnecessary interference of govt and government procedures in the lives of people: PM Narendra Modi#IndependenceDay
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2021
In a move to strengthen the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative, PM Modi announced that all Sainik Schools across the country will now be open for girls.
“I used to get messages from lakhs of women children that they want to study in Sainik Schools. 2-2.5 years ago, for the first time, we started an experiment of opening Sainik Schools for girls from Mizoram,” said PM Modi.
Hailing India’s daughters and women empowerment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 74 years of Independence said that the woman of the country has evolved from education to sports and added that today, be it education or Olympics, the daughters of this country are performing tremendously, and the country has to ensure that they get equal opportunities and they feel safe and respected.
Prime Minister also noted that the country has to work together for the next-generation infrastructure, world-class manufacturing, cutting innovations and new-age technology.
In the coming days, the government will launch PM Gati Shakti Plan, a 100 lakh crore national infrastructure master plan which will make a foundation for holistic infrastructure and give an integrated pathway to our economy. The Prime Minister also announced that 75 Vande Bharat trains would connect every corner of India in 75 weeks of Amrit Mahotsav of Independence.
75 Vande Bharat trains will connect every corner of India in 75 weeks of Amrit Mahotsav of Independence: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/2wIMt6hpXu
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2021
While giving his speech on the celebrations of 74 years of Independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also requested citizens to ‘pledge’ for ‘energy independent before completing 100 years of independence’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said that the country is facing ‘the menace of terrorism and expansionist policies’ and India will leave ‘no stone unturned’ to strengthen our Armed Forces. In his concluding remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled surgical strikes and airstrikes and termed them tough decisions that India can undertake.
“By conducting surgical strikes and airstrikes, we have given a message of the emergence of a new India to our enemies. It also conveys that India can take tough decisions,” said PM Modi.
By conducting surgical strikes and airstrikes, we have given a message of the emergence of a new India to our enemies. It also conveys that India can take tough decisions: PM Modi from the ramparts of Red Fort on Independence Day pic.twitter.com/fr238mgq38
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2021
After concluding his traditional Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Olympic contingents present at the celebration at Red Fort. This year, to mark the celebrations of August 15, the Union Government had welcomed Olympic contingents who hailed India’s name at Tokyo Olympics 2020.
