Citing instances of cultural unity, he said thousands of years ago, a monk born in Kerala established 'peeths' in four corners of the country in the form of Aadishankar
The one thing that will take the country forward is women-led development, he said
"In the Amrit Kaal, in 2047, when the country will celebrate 100 years of independence, then the tricolour should be that of a developed India
"Let us make this 77th Independence Day celebration meaningful by pledging to strengthen our freedom, unity, democracy, secularism and scientific thinking," he said in his speech
The world also saw India's potential in the way it dealt with the coronavirus crisis, Modi said, adding that pandemic has taught that development is not possible without a human centric approach
He said various correctional activities have been designed for the inmates and one such programme for 720 inmates is on the verge of completion
"We have to look these evils in the eye and wage a war against them. We can't tolerate corruption in any form to realise the dream of a developed nation," he added
Putin emphasised that the achievements that India has made in the economic, scientific, technological and social fields are universally recognised
Bindeshwar Pathak, 'Toilet Man of India' who pioneered public sanitation, passes away
"This trinity of demography, democracy and diversity has the potential to fulfil every dream of India," he said
The BJP hit out at Kharge saying it shows the party's "mindset" and that it cannot think beyond "dynasty"
"He (PM) also keeps on criticising the opposition and if he keeps doing so even on Independence Day, then what kind of India will he make," he said
'Country has taken the form of a friend of the world', he says in speech
He said the world is going to be influenced by technology and even developed countries are willing to learn about the success of Digital India
He also reiterated the government's unwavering resolve to ensure national security amid the current global security scenario
The govt has recognised as many as 98,119 entities as startups as on April 30 this year. These startups are eligible for availing incentives, including tax benefits under the Startup India scheme
In the past, he has mostly started his speeches with either "my beloved brothers and sisters" or "my dear fellow citizens"
Independence Day 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India will ascend to the position of the world's third-largest economy in the next five years
Referring to power cuts in other parts of the country, he said that India cannot become "vishwaguru" if there are such long outages
'Three evils', 'mere parivarjan', and 'Modi' highlight his 10th I-Day speech