PM Modi Independence Day Speech: As India celebrates its 80th Independence Day on Saturday, August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his 13th consecutive address from the historic monument of
Red Fort. PM Modi on Saturday greeted people on the occasion of Independence Day and said powered by 140 crore Indians, the country is scaling new heights of progress across different sectors. Modi also paid tributes to the countless freedom fighters whose courage, sacrifice and unwavering commitment ensured the end of colonial rule. “Warm greetings on the occasion of Independence Day. We remember with gratitude the countless freedom fighters whose courage, sacrifice and unwavering commitment ensured the end of colonial rule,” the Prime Minister said in a post on X. Independence Day 2026 LIVE Updates HERE He said the dreams of the freedom fighters continue to inspire everyone as people work together to build a “Viksit Bharat”. “Powered by 140 crore Indians, our nation is scaling new heights of progress across different sectors. May this journey keep progressing at an even greater pace in the times to come,” Modi said.
THE TAKEAWAYS
The top 10 takeaways from PM Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address:
1. Viksit Bharat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, said a nation becomes great and achieves its goals when it moves forward on the strength of its dreams, resolve and capabilities. He urged citizens to stop pursuing small dreams and instead dream big, saying bigger dreams expand people’s thinking and broaden their vision. Modi also called for stronger resolve, saying a firm determination helps a nation find its way through difficulties and disasters. He spoke about the Viksit Bharat vision. PM Mpdi said the world will be forced to look at India differently when the world’s most populous country becomes a developed nation.
“Today, India has a big dream to become a developed nation by 2047. When the world’s most populous country takes the resolution to become a developed nation, it becomes an introduction of our courage, and the world is compelled to look at us with a different perspective,” he said.
“We, too, have envisioned a grand dream—a dream pursued with firm resolve and the aim of scaling new heights. It is the vision that by the time we mark 100 years of independence—by 2047—we will have transformed India into a developed nation. We must achieve this goal through the collective effort and industrious spirit of our 1.4 billion citizens. When the world’s most populous nation resolves to become a developed country, it stands as a testament to our courage in the eyes of the global community; the world is compelled to change its perspective towards us…”
Delivering his Independence Day address, PM Modi says, "Today, India has a big dream to become a developed nation by 2047. When the world's most populous country takes the resolution to become a developed nation, it becomes an introduction of our courage, and the world is… pic.twitter.com/bSF11dhgz6
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2026
2. Fragile Five to Fastest Growing: PM Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, said India was once counted among the Fragile Five economies but is now the fastest-growing economy.
“The country gained independence—independence accompanied by many dreams. Yet, we failed to pick up pace or gather momentum. We remained mired in an attitude of ‘hoti hai,’ ‘chalti hai,’ ‘ho jaega,’ or ‘dekha jaega.’ By 2014, the entire world had relegated us to the ranks of the “Fragile Five.” Amidst that, over the last 12 years, India has gathered new momentum. We are surging ahead rapidly, and the resolve of our 1.4 billion citizens is such that nothing can now halt our collective determination and capability…,” said PM Modi.
PM Modi said the defence production has increased nearly fourfold, khadi and village industries production nearly fivefold, and electronics manufacturing nearly sevenfold. He added that the production of modern railway coaches has increased 21 times, while mobile phone production has risen 33 times.
3. Atmanirbhar Bharat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India has picked up a new pace of development over the last 12 years, with the country’s progress driven by the resolve and capabilities of its 140 crore citizens. “We must become self-reliant and protect our interests. Today, every Indian is getting connected with initiatives of Make in India, Swadeshi, Vocal for Local,” he said.
4. Sea exploration: “99% of our coastline had been declared a no-go area because of this mindset. We had ourselves decided not to carry out exploration in the sea. This was a poverty of thought. We decided that this could not continue. We have opened up the 99% that was once declared a no-go area as a go-ahead area,” said the PM.
“We have saved the diesel that we had to import from abroad. Our trains are running on electricity, and the environment is benefiting. We have not stopped here. We do not want to remain behind the world. You may have heard the news recently. India has entered a new field of fuel as well. The country has started its first hydrogen-powered train. And I am happy that it is the world’s longest and most powerful hydrogen train, and India has also made its mark in the field of hydrogen trains,” said the PM.
5. Gas and energy: “Before 2014, that is, 12 years ago, only around 70 cities in our country had piped gas distribution. In 12 years, we have increased this number from 70 cities to 700 cities. This is what speed and expansion look like. Before 2014, piped gas reached barely 20–22 lakh households. Today, work is underway to provide piped gas to nearly 1.75 crore households. Twelve years ago, the country’s solar energy capacity was only 2 GW. Just 2 GW. Today, it is 160 GW,” said the PM.
“For the past 10–12 years, we have been continuously working towards achieving the 2047 goal. We have been achieving one milestone after another. We had not imagined that we would also have to face so many challenges along the way. Over the past 10–12 years, we have faced so many crises,” said Modi.
“Energy security is the need of the hour. We are moving forward with the aim of 100 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2047. We aim to start five new nuclear reactors in this decade.”
6. Covid pandemic: The global pandemic had put the entire world in a state of concern. All systems had been disrupted. We came out of COVID, and then news of the devastation caused by wars began to emerge—somewhere in Ukraine, somewhere in West Asia. There was an atmosphere of tension everywhere, said the PM.
“And who knows what all predictions were made by the so-called forecasters. Some people seemed to take pleasure in frightening the country, keeping the country fearful and anxious. “There will be no vaccines, people will not survive COVID, nothing will happen.” When the West Asia crisis came, they said, “There will be no petrol at petrol pumps, no gas, no diesel, no fertilizer…By spreading all kinds of rumours, some people seemed to take pleasure in frightening the people of India and keeping them immersed in fear and anxiety. But the country has seen that the well-thought-out plans of the past 10–12 years are bearing fruit. Despite such major crises, India, living by the mantra of “Atithi Devo Bhava,” took one step after another based on the preparations it had made,” said the PM.
7. Global crisis: “We had not imagined that such a crisis would arise. But during this crisis, all these preparations proved useful. And today, the country has gas, petrol, and urea. We are standing and moving forward on the strength of our own capabilities,” said the PM.
“My dear countrymen, these global crises have affected everyone, and we have not remained untouched either. The price of a bag of urea has reached ₹3,000 in the world. Even today, we are not forcing our farmers to bear that burden. The government is carrying that burden on its own shoulders. A bag of urea that we get from the world at ₹3,000 is being provided to our farmers for just ₹300. Not only this, the price of DAP has reached ₹5,000 in the global market. But to ensure that our farmers do not face difficulties, we are providing DAP at ₹1,350,” said Modi.
8. FTAs: “After 2014, we have entered into or are entering into FTA agreements with around 40 countries. Now, look at how great an opportunity this is. And therefore, especially, I would like to tell our MSMEs that we must not let this opportunity go. We have to reach the world. Every Indian product must reach the global market—whether it is our textiles, our machinery, or our medicines. We must not miss this opportunity. But we have to meet global parameters. We have to provide products that are better than what the world offers. We have to provide them at a more competitive price,” he said.
From Ludhiana in Punjab to Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, our textile sector can reach the world. Not only this, from Kerala to Gujarat, and from Tamil Nadu to Bengal, this coastline of ours, said the PM.
9. Seven streams of strength: PM Modi listed the seven streams of strength for the country.
1. Manufacturing Power — Making India a trusted global supply-chain hub, from components to complete products.
2. Agriculture & Food Products — Expanding food processing and taking Indian agricultural products, millets, spices, fruits and other foods to global markets.
3. Technology & Innovation — Building India as a global innovation hub in AI, quantum technology, space, robotics, data centres and next-generation communications.
4. Gati Shakti (Connectivity & Infrastructure) — Developing seamless, fast connectivity through high-speed rail, modern highways, airports, multimodal logistics and ports.
5. Defence Power — Achieving self-reliance in defence, developing next-generation defence technologies and becoming a global defence supplier.
6. Green & Blue Economy — Advancing green hydrogen, renewable energy, energy storage, green mobility, green manufacturing, as well as fisheries, coastal tourism and ocean technology.
7. India’s Soft Power — Leveraging yoga, Ayurveda, holistic healthcare, healing, culture and India’s spiritual heritage to strengthen India’s global influence.
10. Gen-Z: PM Modi’s speech designated Generation Z as the primary architects of a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India) by 2047, praising their digital-first approach and contributions to the startup ecosystem and “Orange Economy”. Addressing the nation, he called for mentorship of the youth and highlighted government initiatives, including PM SHRI schools and Atal Tinkering Labs, to foster innovation and integrate them into governance. Detailed transcripts and official reports regarding the speech are available on the government’s official communication channels.
CAPITAL ON HIGH ALERT
The capital is on high alert in view of Independence Day celebrations, with more than 25,000 Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel deployed across the city to maintain law and order, while a multi-layered security grid has been placed around the Red Fort, involving over 1,000 CCTV cameras and AI-based video analytics, a senior police officer said.
Elaborate security arrangements are in place around the historic Red Fort, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unfurl the national flag and address the nation. “We have elaborate security arrangements, keeping in mind the incidents witnessed in the capital last year,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia told PTI.
The security plan includes multiple layers of checking and screening at entry points and around the Red Fort, besides a dedicated anti-terror response mechanism to deal with any possible threat or emergency situation, the officer said. More than 25,000 Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel are deployed at strategic locations across the city, including the Red Fort and other sensitive areas.
With PTI, ANI inputs
