Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday marked his 12th consecutive Independence Day address from the Red Fort ramparts, breaking former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s record of 11 straight speeches.
On the 79th Independence Day, he unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at making India self-reliant, technologically advanced, and economically stronger — with the clear goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
Mission Sudarshan Chakra
Announcing an ambitious plan to strengthen India’s defence capabilities, PM Modi launched “Mission Sudarshan Chakra”, inspired by the weapon of Lord Shri Krishna.
The mission aims to create an indigenous air defence system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome to protect critical sites, including civilian areas, from terrorist attacks.
The Prime Minister set a 2035 target for expanding and modernising this “national security shield” entirely through domestic research, development, and manufacturing.
PM Modi confirmed that India’s first domestically produced semiconductor chips will hit the market by the end of 2025. Highlighting decades of lost opportunity, he said the country’s early semiconductor ambitions were stalled “50-60 years ago,” while other nations surged ahead.
The launch, he said, will be a turning point for India’s electronics, automotive, and defence sectors.
Warning of demographic changes in border areas, the Prime Minister alleged that infiltrators were threatening livelihoods, targeting women, and misleading tribal communities to seize land.
The Prime Minister officially rolled out the Rs 1 lakh crore “PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana”, aimed at creating 3.5 crore jobs.
Under the scheme, youth entering their first private sector job will receive Rs 15,000 from the government, while employers hiring them will get financial incentives.
Calling it a “double Diwali” for citizens, PM Modi announced that the government will soon implement next-generation GST reforms to drastically cut taxes on essential goods.
He said the changes are “the need of the hour” to ease the financial burden on ordinary people.
The prime minister revealed plans for a National Deep Water Exploration Mission, dubbed “Samudra Manthan”, to explore oil and gas reserves in the ocean.
