“100 per cent growth” – India should become the hub of global market: PM Modi

In terms of growth Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for “100 per cent” on the 75th Independence Day. He said in his speech “Now we have to move towards saturation. 100% of villages have roads, 100% of households have bank accounts, 100% of beneficiaries have Ayushman Bharat cards, 100% eligible persons have Ujjwala gas connections”. PM also announced plans to introduce fortified rice for the poor under different government schemes and a National Hydrogen Mission in view of climate change. “We have to make India a hub for production and export of Green Hydrogen”.

The Prime Minister said the government will launch Gati Shakti — a ₹ 100 lakh crore infrastructure plan — soon to boost manufacturing and employment. “All manufacturers should target the global market. India should become the hub of the global market.”

Sainik Schools will be opened to girls and 75 Vande Bharat trains will be connecting every corner of the country in 75 weeks of the Amrit Festival of Independence, PM Modi said. In future, August 14 will be observed as “Partition Horrors Remembrance Day”, PM Modi said. He also paid tribute to all the past leaders who fought the long and hard battle for Independence, saying, “Be it Nehru-ji, the first Prime Minister of India, Sardar Patel, who turned the country into a united nation or Babasaheb Ambedkar, who showed India the way to the future, the country is indebted to all of them”. He also greeted the Olympians present on the occasion, saying “I urge the nation to applaud their achievement today. They have not only won our hearts but also inspired future generations”.

Thirty-two athletes – including those who won medals at the Olympics – were invited to participate in the celebrations at the iconic Red Fort. Mentioning the ongoing battle against Covid and the loss of lives since last year, PM Modi said, “54 crore people have got vaccine doses… Despite all the efforts, we have not been able to save many people. Many children lost their parents”.

“In Jammu and Kashmir, the developments are seen on the ground… Be it the entire Himalayan region including our Eastern India, North East, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, our Coastal Belt or tribal areas, these will become the major basis for India’s development in future,” he added. For the second year in a row, the Independence Day celebrations remained muted as the country braces for a possible third wave of the Covid pandemic. The national capital was also under a tight security blanket that included anti-drone defence systems in sensitive areas.

India imported mobile phones worth USD 8 billion seven years ago and is now exporting USD 3 billion worth of mobile phones, the prime minister said.”We will have to work together for manufacturing world-class products, using cutting-edge innovation and new-age technology,” he told the nation. The government’s focus is to make small farmers, who own less than two hectares of land and comprise over 80 per cent of all farmers, the country’s pride, Modi added. Rice provided under any scheme will be fortified by 2024, the prime minister announced.

“We are witnessing the rapid transformation of our villages,” Modi said while stressing that digital entrepreneurs are being nurtured in villages too. During his Independence Day speech, Modi said multiple parts of the country — whether its east, northeast, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh including the entire Himalayan region, the coastal belt or the tribal region — will become a big base for India’s development in the future. “Very soon, the work of connecting all the state capitals of the northeast with rail services is going to be completed,” Modi said, adding that the region is getting connected with Bangladesh, Myanmar and Southeast Asia.