Eight focus areas in Prime Minister Modi's Independence Day address

The middle-class featured prominently in the PM's speech even as he steered clear of both serious growth challenges before the Indian economy and the pressure this was putting on public finances

In his Independence Day address, which lasted for about an hour and a half, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday gave an overview of his government’s policy approach in the coming days, but steered clear of both the serious growth challenges before the Indian economy and the pressure this was putting on public finances.

Instead, he focused on eight specific areas including the much-talked-about need for building a self-reliant India or an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The other seven areas that he touched upon were giving a boost to infrastructure, providing support to urban workers, medium enterprises and middle-class Indians, ensuring greater