Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: On the occasion of India’s 80th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a 76-minute address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, marking his third shortest speech at the historic venue after the 74-minute address in 2022 and the 65-minute speech in 2014.
A major highlight of the speech was a series of announcements focused on the country’s youth. PM Modi declared that the government would provide artificial intelligence skills training to 10 million young people over the next year, equipping them to lead in the global AI landscape.
He also announced free online coaching for various competitive examinations for youth from poor and middle-class families, aiming to open doors of opportunity and strengthen their path to success.
Expressing full confidence in India’s future, PM Modi stated that the country would achieve developed nation status by 2047. He called this vision of Viksit Bharat a “big dream” that expands the nation’s thinking and broadens its horizons. Small dreams, he said, would no longer suffice. A nation becomes great when it moves forward driven by its dreams, firm resolve and inherent strength. When resolve is steadfast, the capacity to carve a path even amid difficulties and disasters naturally emerges.
He urged citizens to work collectively towards this goal, noting that when the world’s most populous country takes such a resolution, the world is compelled to view it with a different perspective.
Reflecting on the past 12 years, the Prime Minister outlined India’s remarkable economic and social transformation. He recalled the country’s shift from being counted among the “Fragile Five” to becoming one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.
