On I-Day, 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' dominates Modi’s speech: Key takeaways

'Atmanirbhar Bharat' was the centrepiece of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address as he presented a broad outline for spurring India's growth in diverse sectors and asserted that the coronavirus pandemic cannot halt the country's march towards self-reliance.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India must become self-reliant and use its vast natural resources to produce for the domestic as well as the global market.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of India's 74th Independence Day, Modi said in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 130 crore Indians have pledged to build a 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.

"I am confident that India will realise this dream. I am confident of the abilities, confidence and potential of my fellow Indians. Once we decide to do something, we do not rest till we achieve that goal," he said.

Modi reiterated in his address 'Vocal for Local' call and said that India should strive for meeting needs of the world as well and wondered how long the country would continue to export raw materials and import finished products.

Key takeaways from PM Modi's speech:

• Speaking of self-reliant India, PM Modi said many concerns are raised about it and acknowledged challenges ahead but asserted that there are "crores of solutions" offered by the country's citizens to "lakhs of challenges"
• Vocal for local, re-skill and up-skill campaigns will be the main pillars
• Even during the coronavirus pandemic, big global companies are looking towards India
• Atmanirbhar Bharat does not mean only reducing dependence on imports, but strengthening India's capacity, creativity and skills. Modi said If we keep importing, local talent won’t be developed
• The prime minister said India's policies, processes and products should be the best in the world and only then the idea of "shresth Bharat" (best India) will be realised
• Opening up of the space sector in the country will create employment opportunities
• PM Modi listed out a number of reform measures undertaken by his government which have resulted in a record 18% increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country last year
• The world has shown confidence in India as we have worked on our policies, democracy and strengthening of the foundation of our economy
• An important priority of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' is Atmanirbhar agriculture and Atmanirbhar farmer. To provide modern infrastructure to the farmers of the country, 'Agriculture Infrastructure Fund' of Rs 1 Lakh Crores has been created
• Self-sufficient India means not only reducing imports, but also increasing our skills and creativity
• We have to move forward with mantra of 'Make in India' as well as 'Make for World'
• Asia's third-largest economy's main focus will be the creation of a pipeline of national infrastructure projects worth more than Rs 110 lakh crore, Modi said. "About 7,000 projects in different sectors have been identified. This will be a type of infrastructure revolution
• The National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) project will play a crucial role in pulling the country out of the impact of COVID-19
• PM Modi announced the launch of a national digital health mission under which health IDs will be given to everyone
• Connecting every village of the nation with optical fibre in coming 1,000 days. Besides, a high speed internet connectivity via submarine optical fibre cable will be extended to Lakshadweep in this period
• The prime minister also announced a new policy on cyber security to be unveiled shortly amid threats emanating from cyber space
• PM Modi said three COVID vaccines are in various phases of trials in the country. He said that a roadmap is ready to inoculate all citizens at the shortest possible time with their mass production after scientists give a green signal
• He also cited the example of India during the corona crisis becoming an export surplus nation in the manufacturing of N-95 face masks, PPE kits and ventilators. From just one corona testing lab, India now has 1,400 labs. "Our policies, our process, our products should be the best," he said
• Need to remove silos and entire country has to move towards multi-modal connectivity infrastructure
• PM Modi said his government has freed farmers of their constraints, and they can now trade their products freely on their terms
• The need of the hour is to make Indian agriculture modern with good infrastructure in place for processing, value addition and better marketing
• To increase farm income, he said the government was focusing on reducing agri input costs like encouraging farmers to shift from diesel pumpset to solar pumps besides promoting allied farm activities like beekeeping, fishery, poultry and others
• Modi also said that the way Sikkim has gained recognition as an organic state, Ladakh will be known as a carbon neutral place and the government is working hard to achieve this goal
• India has vast natural resources and need of the hour was value addition
• On his government's response to mitigate economic hardships caused by the coronavirus outbreak and ensuing lockdowns, Modi said 7 crore families were given free cooking gas LPG cylinders, over 80 crore people got free ration and close to Rs 90,000 crore transferred into bank accounts
• The moratorium on EMI payment during the pandemic period has resulted in a rebate totaling Rs 6 lakh crore over the loan period, he said adding that Rs 25,000 crore fund was created for completion of unfinished real estate projects
• Highlighting his government's reform measures, the prime minister said one nation one tax (GST), insolvency and bankruptcy code (IBC) and bank mergers were the cornerstone of the six-year rule
• The prime minister said that making farmers self-reliant has been a cornerstone of the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign and is also proving to be a value addition to cater to the needs of the global market
• There was a time when India imported grains, but today farmers are producing enough not just for the country but also for those in need across the world, he said adding the farm sector needs to evolve in line with the requirements of the world. "Value addition is required for our farm sector"
• Ethanol product has increased from just 40 crore litres five years back to over 200 crore litres, which is being used to mix in petrol, helping cut oil import bill as well as save the environment
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of 'Project Dolphin' for protecting ocean and Gangetic dolphins
• PM Modi also announced that his government will soon launch a project to conserve Asiatic Lions and its landscape in a holistic manner.
• Modi said India has always believed that the entire world is one family. "While we focus on economic growth and development, humanity must retain a central role in this process and our journey," the prime minister noted.

(With inputs from agencies)