The 79th Independence Day celebrations on Friday started off with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 103-minute address — longest I-Day speech by any Indian PM till date. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort, Modi paid tributes to the heroes of India’s freedom struggle. As he went on detail India’s standing 88 years after Independence, he also made a few key announcement in various sectors — technology, economic, job and security sectors.
1. Made-in-India semiconductor chips
PM Modi announced that made-in-India semiconductor chips will hit the market by the end of this year, marking a major milestone in India’s technological advancement. “To the youth of the nation and to those around the world who understand India’s technological strength, I want to say this: by the end of this very year, ‘Made-in-India’ chips will be available in the market,” he said as he underscored the government’s push on India’s “self-reliance” in semiconductor manufacturing. He said that the semiconductor initiative has been taken forward in mission mode. Six different units are being set up on the ground.
2. Next generation GST reforms
PM Modi promised next generation reforms in Goods and Services Tax (GST) by Diwali. These reforms, he said, will provide ‘substantial’ tax relief to common man and benefit small and medium enterprises, by reducing tax on daily-use items. In his address, Modi said the time has come to undertake reforms in GST as the indirect tax regime has completed 8 years. “We have discussed with states and we will usher in next generation GST reforms by Diwali, which will be a Diwali gift for citizens. Tax on items of common man will be reduced substantially. Our MSMEs will benefit hugely. Daily use items will become cheaper, which will also strengthen our economy,” he added.
3. Reform Task Force for a $10 Trillion Bharat
PM Modi also announced the creation of a dedicated Reform Task Force to take forward the next-generation reforms. The mandate of this task force would be to accelerate economic growth, cut red tape, modernise governance, and prepare Bharat for the demands of a $10 trillion economy by 2047.
4. Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana
PM Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana for the youths of India. Under this Rs 1 lakh-crore scheme, the government will provide Rs 15,000 to the youths securing jobs in private companies. “My country’s youth, today is 15th August, and on this very day, we are launching a scheme worth Rs 1 lakh crore for the youth of our country. From today, the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana is being implemented,” Modi said. It is expected to provide jobs to about 3.5 crore youths, he added.
5. High-Powered Demography Mission
Highlighted the dangers of demographic imbalance caused by infiltration and illegal migration in border areas, PM Modi announced the launch of a high-powered demography mission. This is address this national security challenge, ensuring the unity, integrity, and rights of India’s citizens are safeguarded, he said.
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6. Sudarshan Chakra Mission
Drawing “inspiration from Lord Shri Krishna”, Modi announced the launch of Sudarshan Chakra Mission — a major defence initiative aimed at protecting India’s strategic, civilian, and religious sites from enemy threats. “India is set to launch Mission Sudarshan Chakra to build powerful weapon system to thwart any attempt by enemies to attack us,” he said. He added the government aims to integrate the latest technological tools so that all the public places are covered by the nationwide security shield by 2035.
7. Tenfold rise in nuclear energy by 2047
Modi said India is rapidly working on 10 new nuclear reactors and has pledged to increase its nuclear energy capacity tenfold by 2047. “In the field of energy, we all know that we are heavily dependent on many countries for our energy needs whether it is petrol, diesel or gas… We have to spend billions of rupees to import them. It is very important to make the country self-reliant in this regard,” Modi said. “We are building new dams so that hydropower can be expanded and clean energy can be made available.”
— with inputs from PTI
