Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his 8th Independence Day address tomorrow on India’s 75th Independence Day and the nation will be looking forward to hearing him get a sense of the road ahead for the nation after the disastrous second Covid wave in April and May and the third wave that is expected to hit the country any time soon.
PM Modi had delivered his first Independence Day speech in 2014. That was an extempore speech used to connect with the Indians directly on the most important day of the country to highlight the issues the country was facing and to convey his government’s policies and vision ahead.
Since then, the PM has followed a similar format every year on Independence Day, delivering the progress reports of the last year and the path ahead for the next year. Independence Day is also the occasion when PM Modi has announced some of the landmark schemes for the country.
August 15, 2014
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first Independence Day Speech – Make in India / Clean India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first Independence Day speech on the 68th Independence Day of India was a reflection of his humble roots and the way forward for his government. He spoke extempore for 65 minutes. The speech was focused on social equity in India and reflected in Modi’s humble origin and the opportunity for him to become the Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy. The newly-elected PM while recognising the work done by all previous Prime Ministers, said that his government will work on a strong base of consensus and not on the strength of the majority. Incidentally, Narendra Modi was the first PM to get a complete majority in the Lok Sabha after 1984.
He emphasised that his governments would work as an organic unit and spoke on cornerstone schemes of his government like Jan Dhan Yojna to help poor people having bank accounts; Skill Development Mission for developing youth as job creators; and Sansad Aadarsh Gram Yojana to push MPs to develop a model village in their constituency.
In his first Independence Day speech, the PM also said that the country would launch Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan or Clean India Mission on the day of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, and also assured that within a year all schools will have separate toilets for girl students. Digital India, intending to help poor people of the country was a dream to follow, he added during his speech.
He presented the concept of ‘Make in India’ with a country having skill set and talent required already available and reflected on rebuilding the Planning Commission and initiating a new phase of ties with countries in the immediate neighbourhood.
2015 – Start-Up Team India / Electricity for all villages
The duration of the second Independence Day speech of the Prime Minister was 86 minutes. He called 125 crore Indians ‘Team India’ and assured the nation that every village in the country will be electrified in 1,000 days. He said that there was no need for interviews in ‘C’ and ‘D’ category government jobs.
Extending the commitment made during the 2014 speech, Modi announced to launch of ‘Start-Up India’ to encourage entrepreneurship. ‘One Rank One Pension’ was promised to be delivered and steps to recover black money were shared. He said, to root out graft, one needs to start from the top.
The Independence Day speech had details about the government’s social welfare schemes launched like Jan Dhan, Swachch Bharat and Swachh Vidyalaya and the subsequent signs of progress made in these schemes. He also announced that the Ministry of Agriculture would be renamed as Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
August 16, 2016 – Balochistan, Gilgit Raised Prominently
The speech that went on for 96 minutes, the longest Independence Day speech so far by PM Modi, raised Balochistan, Gilgit, and Pak-Occupied-Kashmir issues prominently, in a clear departure from the past. PM Modi also requested neighbours to make fighting poverty a core issue.
The speech highlighted the need for social equity in India and atrocities on Dalits and shared details on the progress made on social welfare schemes of the government like 1,000 villages already electrified and over 2 crore toilets built so far.
During the speech, the PM also spoke on the need for converting Swaraj into Suraaj. One Nation, One Grid, One Price, GST, renewable energy, Per Drop Per Crop, Mudra Loan Scheme and Iran’s Chabhar Port were other major highlights of his speech.
August 15, 2017 – Demonetisation / GST / Doubling Farmers’ Income
The 57-minutes long speech in 2017, the shortest Independence Day speech delivered by PM Modi so far, spoke about demonetisation and why it was needed. The PM praised the patience shown by Indians for the drive that he said was intended to root out corruption and added that black money worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore was already confiscated. He also spoke about GST being operationalised from July 1, 2017.
He spoke on doubling farmers’ income by 2022. On Kashmir, he said it could not be solved by bullets and there was an urgent need to embrace every Kashmiri. PM Modi emphatically mentioned the horrors Muslim women were facing due to the Triple Talaq practice. Also, according to the PM, violence in the name of faith was an unacceptable thing in the country.
PM Modi highlighted India’s increasing stature in the world and said the world was acknowledging India’s capability and strength after terror targets inside Pakistan were targeted by Indian forces in a surgical strike.
August 15, 2018 – Space Mission / Jan Arogya Abhiyan
The 82-minute Independence Day speech in 2018 announced that by 2022, the county will be able to send an Indian into the space. Permanent Commission for the appointment of women officers in the Short Service Commission of Indian armed forces was also announced another landmark move.
Pradhanmantri Jan Arogya Abhiyan was announced to help poor people get free treatment for serious diseases. The Minimum Support Price for crops was raised more than 1.5 times, the speech said. Social justice for weaker sections of society was made a priority. The PM also spoke about other social welfare schemes like Ujjwala and Saubhagya Yojana and on social malaise like rapes and Triple Talaq.
August 15, 2019 – One Nation, One Constitution / Abrogation of Article 370 / $5 Trillion Economy
It was PM Modi’s first speech after his emphatic win in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, securing even more seats in the Lok Sabha. He spoke for 92 minutes. The main focus of the speech was his government’s move to abrogate Article 370 from Jammu & Kashmir and integrate the State fully into the Indian Union. One Nation, One Constitution was now a reality for every Hindustani, PM Modi said.
With a promise to give piped potable water to every rural household by 2024, the speech announced the ‘Jal Jeevan’ mission with Rs 3.5 lakh crore earmarked for it. Separate Rs 100 lakh crore funds were announced to boost infrastructure in the country.
PM Modi said India had the capability to become $5 trillion in the next 5 years. The Independence Day speech also shared details about the Post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to be created. Other important highlights of the speech were Triple Talaq, the massive population explosion in Indian and doubling the farmers’ income by 2022.
August 15, 2020 – Corona Disaster / Self-reliant India
The Independence Day speech that went on for 86 minutes was mainly focused on the corona disaster and how India was trying to find a way out of it by becoming a self-reliant county in the future in every aspect, be it healthcare needs or other requirements. The speech spoke about the prospect that the country may become a hub for manufacturing and a pivot for the global economy in future.
PM Modi, through his speech, while saluting the frontline corona workers, also highlighted the efforts being made by the Government of India to help poor and migrated workers during the lockdown phase and encouraged India to become self-reliant even if people had doubts about it. Giving the mantra of ‘vocal for local’, he said the ‘Make in India’ concept had now become ‘Make in India to Make for the World’ initiative.
He said how his government had empowered farmers by giving them the option of selling their product anywhere in the country something that was not allowed previously and announced a Rs 1,00,000 crore fund for agriculture infrastructural development.
