India celebrates Independence Day. Prime Minister Modi presents ambitious reform agenda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his 13th Independence Day address from the Red Fort on Saturday to set out a seven-pronged growth strategy aimed at making India a developed economy by 2047, Livemint reported.

Modi called for “next-level reforms” in education, skills, technology and the economy, and put manufacturing, youth, self-reliance, global competitiveness, energy security, defence and structural reforms at the centre of the agenda. He also urged political parties to work towards reservation of women in Parliament and state assemblies, and announced a new civil defence network.

The Prime Minister listed seven “shaktis”: manufacturing power, agriculture and food processing, technology and innovation, Gati Shakti, defence power, green economy and soft power. He said these would give India “new speed and new height” as it works towards 2047, the country’s 100th Independence Day, marking a shift in the Viksit Bharat narrative from basic infrastructure and welfare delivery to global competitiveness, self-reliance and reform.

Stressing Atmanirbhar Bharat, Modi said India must become a competitive part of global value chains through cost, quality and supply-chain strength. “India should not merely be a market for the world; it should be a key partner in the global supply chain. For that, our factories should be competitive, our products should be user-friendly, and the packaging should be the best,” he said, adding that MSMEs should use free trade pacts signed within developed economies.

Modi said 50 Indian companies should become Fortune 500 companies in the next few years, one Indian bank should rank among the world’s leading banks, Indian rating agencies, consultancy and auditing firms should gain global recognition, and one Indian pharmaceutical company should be among the top five globally. The comments came days after the government relaxed rules allowing Indian consultancy firms to participate in more government contracts, a move Mint first reported on 11 August.

Youth featured prominently in the speech, with references to start-ups, foreign universities, free online courses and training one crore young people in artificial intelligence over the next year. Modi also called for greater youth participation in sports, against the backdrop of youth protests at Jantar Mantar that resulted in Dharmendra Pradhan being removed as education minister on 25 July.