On Tuesday (August 15), Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of India’s 77th Independence Day. He spoke on an array of issues, ranging from India’s digital economy to strides in technology and telecommunications.
Addressing the nation on Independence Day. https://t.co/DGrFjG70pA
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 15, 2023
World interested in India’s digital economy
PM Modi recounted the time when world leaders expressed their curiosity about India’s development in technology and digitalisation during the G20 summit in Bali.
He said, “When I visited the Bali for G20 Summit last, every world leader kept asking me about the Digital India initiative. I told them the campaign is not limited to metro cities, but it helps every citizen of the country.”
“Our initiative is not limited to Chennai, Delhi or Mumbai…even tier-II cities are now equipped with Digital equipment…Reform, perform, transform is the motto of our government,” he added.
PM Modi on vaccine diplomacy and India’s position in global politics
The Indian Prime Minister pointed out how the country stepped up during the Coronavirus pandemic and sent vaccines to several countries. “India has emerged as ‘vishva mitra’ (friend of world); country laying strong foundation of ‘vishva mangal’ (global welfare),” he emphasised.
“During COVID-19 when the world was facing the wrath of this pandemic, India focused on global development. India has now become the voice of the global south…After the COVID-19 pandemic, a new world order, a new geo-political equation is taking shape,” PM Modi continued.
He reiterated, “The definition of geopolitics is changing. Today, the ability of 140 crore Indians can be seen in the shaping of the new world order.”
Strides in technology and economic success
While speaking about India’s progress on the technological front, PM Modi said, “India’s capabilities in space technology are rising rapidly. Deep sea mission, modernisation of railways – Vande Bharat, bullet train – we are working on everything. The Internet has reached villages. While we are working on nano urea, we are also focusing on organic farming.”
He further informed, “When we came to power in 2014, we were at the 10th position in the global economic system. Today, with the efforts of 140 Crore Indians, we have reached the fifth position. This did not happen just like that. The demon of corruption had the country in its clutches and we stopped leakages and created a strong economy.”
“It is Modi’s guarantee that in the next five years, India will become one among top three nation in terms of economy,” PM Modi emphasised.
Fighting poverty, empowering farmers and youth
“Earlier, 70 thousand crore rupees were spent from the treasury of the Government of India for the development of local bodies, today it is more than 3 lakh crore rupees,” PM Modi informed.
He also stated that 100 lakh crore rupees are now disbursed by the Centre to the States as compared to 30 lakh crores 9 years ago. The government is also spending 4 lakh crores to build houses for the poor.
While speaking about empowering farmers, PM Modi stated, “The bags of urea that are sold for 3,000 rupees in some global markets, we provide to our farmers for 300 rupees, and hence the government is providing a subsidy of 10 lakh crore rupees on urea for our farmers.”
During his address, he informed the nation that 10 lakh people have benefitted from the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana. “About eight crore people have started new businesses, and it’s not just eight crore people who started their businesses; each entrepreneur has provided employment to one or two individuals,” PM Modi stated.
“The capability to provide employment to 8-10 crore new individuals has been achieved through the Mudra Yojana availed by eight crore citizens,” he highlighted. PM Modi said that 13.5 crore people were able to break the chains of poverty by utilising government schemes and enter the middle class.
Development in Telecom Sector
The Indian Prime Minister recalled the days prior to 2014 when internet data tariffs were prohibitively expensive. He highlighted how India is now the global leader in offering the most affordable internet data rates.
He underlined that this reduction in cost has translated to substantial savings for families across the nation. PM Modi also turned the spotlight on India’s rapid strides toward the deployment of 5G technology.
He pointed out that the 5G rollout has gained unparalleled momentum, extending its coverage to over 700 districts. PM Modi laid out an ambitious vision for the adoption of 6G technology. He said that a dedicated task force will be constituted to ensure the success of the initiative.
