This grand festival of Independence is a celebration of the 140 crore resolutions of our people. This festival of Independence is a moment of collective achievements, a moment of pride, and our hearts are filled with joy. “Har Ghar Tiranga” is visible, whether from the deserts, the Himalayan peaks, the seashores, or densely populated regions and everywhere there is one echo, one cheer: The praise of our motherland, dearer to us than life itself.
Friends, I feel great pride that I have the opportunity to salute the brave warriors of Operation Sindoor from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Our courageous soldiers punished the enemies beyond anything they could have imagined. On April 22, terrorists crossed the border and committed a massacre in Pahalgam. The entire nation was filled with outrage, and the whole world was shocked. Operation Sindoor was the expression of that outrage. After the events on the 22nd, we gave our army complete freedom — let them decide the strategy, choose the targets, and select the timing. Our army accomplished something that had not happened in decades. Penetrating hundreds of kilometres into enemy territory, they reduced terrorist headquarters to dust.
After Independence, feeding crores of people was a formidable challenge. And it was none other than the farmers of my country who, by toiling hard, filled the granaries of the nation. The bedrock of a Viksit Bharat is also a self-reliant Bharat. The greater a nation’s reliance on others, the more its freedom comes into question. Self-reliance is not confined merely to imports and exports, or to rupees, pounds, and dollars. Self-reliance is linked to our capability, and when self-reliance begins to diminish, capability too continually declines. Therefore, to preserve, maintain, and enhance our capability, it is imperative to be self-reliant.
Imagine if we were not self-reliant, could we have executed Operation Sindoor with such swiftness? We would have been plagued by worries over who might supply us, whether or not we would get the required equipment, and so on. The results we see today are the outcome of our consistent mission over the past 10 years towards self-reliance in the field of defence.
None can deny that the 21st century is a technology-driven century. When we speak of various dimensions of technology, I wish to draw your attention to semiconductors. I do not stand here to criticise any person or government. But it is equally important for the youth of our country to know. In our country, files related to semiconductors started moving 50-60 years ago. The idea of a semiconductor factory began then. My young friends will be shocked to know that today, semiconductors have become a global force — but 50-60 years ago, the idea was stalled, delayed and shelved. The conception of semiconductors was aborted. We lost 50-60 years. Today, we have freed ourselves from that burden and advanced the work on semiconductors in mission mode. Six different semiconductor units are taking shape on the ground, and we have already given the green signal to four new units.
We all know that we are dependent on many countries for petrol, diesel, and gas. We are spending lakhs of crores of rupees to procure them. It is essential to make the country self-reliant in energy. We took up this resolve, and in the last 11 years, solar energy has seen a thirty-fold increase. We are building new dams to expand hydropower so that we may obtain clean energy. With Mission Green Hydrogen, Bharat is today investing thousands of crores of rupees. In the field of nuclear energy, 10 new reactors are progressing rapidly. By 2047, when the nation will complete 100 years of independence — the year we have set as the target for achieving the goal of a Viksit Bharat — we are moving forward with the resolve to increase our nuclear energy capacity more than tenfold.
Today, the National Manufacturing Mission is progressing at great speed. There is always some tool or component that comes from our country’s MSMEs in the making of some of the biggest products globally. But we want to move towards a path of comprehensive and integrated development. That is why we must strengthen their capabilities. I had once said from the Red Fort — Zero Defect, Zero Effect. Today, I want to reiterate that if we want the world to recognise our strength in the global market, we must constantly scale new heights in quality. The world accepts quality. Our quality must be the best.
Those who lived by the mantra of an independent Bharat gave us freedom. That generation dedicated itself to a free Bharat; this generation must take bold new steps for a prosperous Bharat. That is why I keep urging again and again, and I want to tell all the influencers of the country — help me in spreading this mantra. I appeal to all political parties, politicians, everyone: Come, this is not the agenda of any one political party. Bharat belongs to all of us. Together, let us make “Vocal for Local” the mantra of every citizen’s life.
I want to appeal to every small trader and shopkeeper, you too have a responsibility. In our childhood, we used to see shops simply labelled as “Ghee Shop,” but over time, people began writing “Pure Ghee Shop”. In the same way, I want traders and shopkeepers across the country to put up boards saying: “Swadeshi goods sold here”. Let us take pride in Swadeshi. We should use it not out of compulsion, but with strength, for our own strength and if needed, even to compel others to use it. That should be our power. This should be our guiding mantra.
This nation is built by the toil of crores of people — by sages, saints, scientists, teachers, farmers, soldiers, workers, labourers. Contributions come from individuals and from institutions alike. Today, with great pride, I wish to mention one such institution. One hundred years ago, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was founded. These 100 years of service to the nation constitute a proud and golden chapter. With the resolve of nation-building through character-building, with the aim of serving Maa Bharati, the swayamsevaks have, for a century, dedicated their lives to the welfare of the motherland. In a sense, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the world’s largest NGO. Today, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I salute all the swayamsevaks who have contributed to this century-long journey of national service. The nation takes pride in this grand and dedicated journey of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which will continue to inspire us.
I wish to warn the nation of a grave concern and challenge. As part of a deliberate conspiracy, the demography of the country is being altered. These infiltrators are snatching away the livelihoods of our youth. These infiltrators are targeting our sisters and daughters. These infiltrators are misleading innocent tribals and seizing their lands. When demographic change occurs, particularly in border areas, it creates a crisis for national security. It threatens the unity, integrity, and progress of the country. Our forefathers attained freedom through sacrifice. It is our duty towards those great souls that we do not accept such acts. Therefore, today I announce that we have decided to launch a High-Power Demography Mission. Through this mission, the severe crisis will be addressed in a deliberate and time-bound manner.
We have to remember — the one who has toiled hard, the one who has toiled hard, is the one who has created history. The one who has worked hard, is the one who has created history. The one who has broken the steel rocks, is the one who has bent the time. This is the time to bend the time, this is the right time.
Once again, I extend my best wishes to all of you on this great festival of Independence.
The writer is Prime Minister of India.
Edited excerpts of the English translation of his address to the nation on August 15
Under Narendra Modi’s tenure as Prime Minister, we have witnessed a social and economic churn, evident in development indices, intellectual capital, and the surge in the economy 
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