India at 75: PM Narendra Modi sets road map for developed India by 2047

Launches frontal attack on corruption and nepotism

Launching a frontal assault on corruption and nepotism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised harsh steps against those who had “looted” the nation and asked all Indians to support this initiative. He set a “Panchpran (five resolves)” target to make India a developed nation in 25 years.

In his ninth address to the nation on Independence Day from the Red Fort, Modi said many who had stolen national wealth were already in jail, and many more would be despatched there.

The prime minister said he was not just talking about corruption —that hollowed out India like termites — and nepotism in the political sphere, but in all walks of life, where families and extended families captured positions and posts in a bid to perpetuate their power. “Help me end this pernicious practice,” he said, adding that when there were not enough homes for people, there was a category of those looking for “new homes” to store their ill-gotten gains. 

“This is not the time to be generous to such people or tolerate them,” he said.

Calling for five resolves for Indian citizens on the 76th Independence Day to help the country become a developed nation in the next 25 years, the prime minister said: “In the coming years, we have to focus on Panchpran — first, moving forward with bigger resolves and a resolve to develop India; second, erasing all traces of servitude; third, being proud of our legacy; fourth, focusing on our strength of unity; and fifth, fulfilling the duties of citizens with honesty, which applies to the prime minister and chief ministers, as well.”

"The nation should now only be setting big goals. That big goal is a developed India and nothing less," the prime minister said.

 This year’s Independence Day address by Modi was notable for the absence of new scheme launches or announcements that have been a regular feature in past speeches. The address also ignored the campaign against price rise that saw Parliament being disrupted and demonstrations all over India.

Instead, he exhorted citizens to feel good in their own skin as Indians without needing certification or validation from anyone in the world. "There are ups and downs in the history of every nation. We have conquered all the odds, and deprivations, and we are where we are today because of all of us Indians," he said.

Modi addressed women as a category, said respect for women is an important pillar for India's growth, and stressed the need to extend support to “Nari Shakti”. He said it was important that in speech and conduct, “we do nothing that lowers the dignity of women”.

“A distortion has crept in our conduct, and we at times insult women. Can we take a pledge to get rid of this from our behaviour and values?”

He also tapped the vein of nationalism in all Indians regarding self-reliance. Focusing on the fact that for the first time, an Indian-made gun was being used in the traditional Independence Day salute, he said the country was making many efforts to ensure it was self-reliant — from manufacturing mobile phones to ending the import of toys. “I especially salute the seven and eight-year-olds who turned their back on foreign toys and have embraced only Indian toys,” he said. “A self-reliant India or aatmanirbhar Bharat is the responsibility of every citizen, every government, and every unit of society. Self-reliant India — this is not a government agenda or a government programme. This is a mass movement of society, which we have to take forward… I invite the private sector to ensure that made-in-India products are spread globally.”

He said achieving ethanol blending ahead of schedule was one step towards achieving energy security and self-reliance.

At a time when state governments are charging the Centre with being unfair in fiscal resource sharing, the prime minister said apart from cooperative federalism, which forms the foundation of our democracy, India needs cooperative, competitive federalism. “We need a competition over progress. If one state has worked to ensure progress, the other must do better…We need cooperative, competitive federalism to ensure progress,” he said.

While talking about the contribution of freedom fighters in the Independence movement, he noted the efforts of Savarkar, Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Jawaharlal Nehru."