New Delhi, August 15: India is celebrating 80 years of independence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation for the 13th time after hoisting the flag at the Red Fort.
In his speech, Prime Minister Modi stated, “Before 2014, our country had gas supply through pipelines in only 70 cities. In the last 12 years, we have expanded this to 700 cities. This is what we call progress. Before 2014, piped gas reached only 2 to 2.2 million homes. Today, it serves approximately 17.5 million homes. Twelve years ago, the country’s solar energy capacity was just 2 gigawatts. Today, we have achieved a target of 160 gigawatts. We have ensured that the benefits reach the middle class and common families through initiatives like the ‘PM Surya Ghar, Free Electricity Scheme.’ I am pleased to announce that we have crossed the milestone of 5 million homes adopting solar energy, and this progress is accelerating.”
Prime Minister Modi continued, “My dear countrymen, you may be surprised to learn that railway electrification in our country began in 1925. However, in 90 years, only 30 percent of the railway network was electrified. In contrast, we have electrified 70 percent in just 10 years! This is what delivering results means.”
He emphasized, “For the past 10-12 years, we have been steadily moving towards our goal for 2047, achieving milestone after milestone. We never anticipated facing such challenges along the way. Over the last decade, we have encountered numerous crises! The global pandemic of COVID-19 caused deep concern worldwide, disrupting systems everywhere. Just as we emerged from COVID, we were confronted with alarming news of wars—one in Ukraine and another in West Asia. Tensions were everywhere. Who knows what frightening predictions were made by so-called futurists? Some people took pleasure in scaring the nation, keeping people anxious and worried. They claimed, ‘Vaccines won’t be available, people won’t survive COVID; nothing good will come of it.’”
The Prime Minister remarked, “When the crisis in West Asia arose, rumors spread. ‘There will be no petrol at the pumps, no gas, no diesel, no fertilizers.’ Some individuals took pleasure in spreading various rumors to frighten and worry the people of India. However, the country has witnessed the positive outcomes of our carefully crafted policies and plans over the last decade. Adopting the mantra ‘Citizen is God,’ the preparations and measures we had in place proved effective during these crises. We did not anticipate such challenges, yet our arrangements worked well. Today, there is a sufficient supply of gas, petrol, and urea in the country. We stand proudly on our strength and continue to move forward.”
Prime Minister Modi concluded, “There was a time when I spoke of ‘self-reliance,’ and some people in air-conditioned rooms questioned the future of globalization. But looking back at the last decade, it seems the world has stopped discussing globalization. The voices that once advocated for it have fallen silent. Countries worldwide are now focusing on managing and protecting their interests. Unfortunately, during this crisis, some nations have resorted to weaponizing resources to assert dominance. The world is turning everything into a weapon—resources like petrol, diesel, fertilizers, medicines, technology chips, and even territories! At such times, if we had not been inspired by the mantra of ‘self-reliance’ over the past decade, we can only imagine how we would have faced these significant challenges.”
Leave a Comment