New Delhi, August 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India has witnessed rapid growth and transformation across key sectors over the past 12 years, highlighting a nearly four-fold increase in defence production and significant expansion in manufacturing, digital technology and infrastructure.
Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, Modi said India’s development journey was being driven by self-reliance, innovation and the vision of building a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
The Prime Minister said defence production had increased nearly four times over the past 12 years, while electronics manufacturing had grown nearly seven times. Modern railway coach production, he said, had risen 21 times and mobile phone production had increased 33 times.
He also highlighted the expansion of digital infrastructure, saying the number of internet users had nearly quadrupled, patent grants had increased four times and digital transactions had grown around 100 times.
Modi said the transformation was not limited to industrial and technological sectors, but had also extended to basic amenities and governance. He cited the expansion of tap-water and gas connections, sanitation facilities and housing for poorer sections as examples of the government’s efforts to improve the quality of life.
The Prime Minister also emphasised India’s growing focus on self-reliance, particularly in strategic sectors such as defence, energy, semiconductors and critical minerals.
Referring to the country’s defence capabilities, Modi said India’s experience in recent years had demonstrated the importance of indigenous defence production and strategic autonomy.
He called upon Indian youth and scientists to develop advanced technologies, including indigenous jet engines, and urged industries to focus on quality and innovation.
Modi said India was also moving rapidly in renewable energy, space technology, nuclear power and semiconductor manufacturing, with the broader objective of reducing dependence on imports.
On governance reforms, the Prime Minister said more than 40,000 unnecessary compliances had been abolished and over 1,500 outdated laws repealed over the past years. He said such reforms were aimed at creating a simpler and more citizen-friendly system.
The Prime Minister reiterated his vision of making India a developed nation by 2047 and called on citizens to set ambitious goals and work collectively towards achieving them.
He said India’s progress over the past decade had demonstrated that the country could move rapidly when its people, institutions and industries worked with a common national objective.
“Small dreams will no longer suffice,” Modi said, urging citizens to broaden their vision and contribute to India’s journey towards a developed and self-reliant nation.
