Prime Minister Modi Sets Ambitious Goals During Independence Day Address

In his speech on Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the country's demographic advantage as its primary strength. He emphasized the need to adopt a development approach rooted in values to transform India into a developed nation by 2047. The address served a dual purpose: communicating with the international community before India's upcoming hosting of the G-20 leaders summit and engaging various social groups in preparation for the significant 2024 elections. The Prime Minister focused extensively on fostering a sense of national consciousness ("Rashtra chetna") and national character ("Rashtra charitra") to promote the welfare of the nation ("vishwakalyan"). He specifically acknowledged the unrest in Manipur and expressed solidarity with the affected, particularly women. This was significant given the opposition's criticism of his stance on Manipur. Another key aspect of his speech was environmental awareness. He reflected on the lives lost due to natural disasters this year, including floods and landslides in various states. He also discussed his government's efforts to establish disaster-resilient infrastructure and enhance relief operations.

He mentioned India's advocacy for the "One Earth, One Family, and One Future" theme at the G-20, as well as the "Lifestyle for Environment" concept. The Prime Minister commended the bureaucracy for its role in executing actions aligned with his government's vision over the past nine years. He credited aanganwadi and Asha workers for their contribution to vaccination efforts and thanked the Supreme Court for supporting the promotion of regional languages. This praise for the bureaucracy and the Supreme Court is intriguing, particularly considering their significance to the Prime Minister's governing style, which emphasizes administrative control. Notably, many of his ministers have backgrounds as effective former bureaucrats. The relationship between the government and the judiciary has had its share of disagreements. Recurring themes in the Prime Minister's speech included the empowerment of women ("naarishakti"), social justice ("samajik nyay"), youth empowerment ("yuva shakti"), opposition to dynastic politics ("pariwarvaad"), combating corruption ("brashtachar"), and avoiding appeasement ("tushtikaran"). His consistent use of the term "adhunikta" (modernity), both in terms of technology and infrastructure, highlighted his governance model that blends traditional values with modernity. He exemplified this by mentioning India's advancements in nanotechnology while also prioritizing organic farming.