PM Modi unveils ambitious plan for atmanirbhar India; walks the talk on next-gen reforms

There was an element of grandness and occasion in his 12th Independence Day speech, coming as it did in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor and the fast changing geopolitical calculus.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up to the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day, declaring it a 'celebration of national pride', the tone was set: a clean break from the past, and a bold stride into a new growth doctrine powered by 'atma-nirbharta'.

He announced a national task force tasked with formulating a plan on next generation reforms, signalling the urgency for policy measures to accelerate growth, simplify tax rules, empower entrepreneurship, create jobs, boost investment, and dismantle barriers to turn India into a vast market, less dependent on external factors and conditions.

Modi also announced the PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana that can potentially create 3.5 crore jobs in the private sector with a Rs 15,000 government-supported payout to each beneficiary, underlining the criticality of creating employment opportunities for millions of youth joining the queue of job hopefuls.

A sharply simplified goods and services tax (GST) will be announced by Diwali this year, the Prime Minister said, announcing that the tax rates on several daily use items will be reduced.

“This Diwali, I am going to celebrate a double Diwali for you. The countrymen are going to get a big gift, there will be a drastic cut on GST on common household items,” he said.

The Prime Minister presented a sharply reform-focused blueprint, shunning posturing, pontification and populism, spelling out an ambitious plan to turn India atma-nirbhar (self-reliant) on a range areas including critical crude oil and critical minerals, as he walked the talk on refusing to bow down on US intimidation that has deployed high tariffs as a coercive strategic tool to stop crude oil imports from Russia.

There was an element of grandness and occasion in his 12th Independence Day speech, coming as it did in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor and the fast changing geopolitical calculus.

“Being dependent on other countries is a recipe for disaster, we must be self-reliant to safeguard our interests”, he said. “India is going to commence a National deep water exploration mission to make India self-sufficient in energy,” he said.

Modi’s focus on critical minerals, rare earths and chip manufacturing is significant given the frenetic race among countries to stay ahead in the race in artificial intelligence prowess. He announced the setting up of a national critical minerals mission, underscoring India’s resolve to create self-dependency in the area that is fast emerging as a potent geo-strategic lever.

“We have moved on to semiconductor manufacturing in mission mode. 6 units of semiconductor manufacturing are taking shape on ground. Four units of semiconductor manufacturing have got a green signal from the government,’ he said.

Atmanirbhar Bharat was the central tenet of his message, as the Prime Minister showcased how homegrown technology and defence manufacturing gave the country the edge in Operation Sindoor after the deadly Pahalgam attack.

“Made in India worked so well that the enemy didn’t even realise what was destroying them,” Modi said, as he made a compelling pitch for 'Made in India' fighter jets.

The Prime Minister spared no punches in emphasising the urgency to turn India into a manufacturing powerhouse, giving a new accent to “swadeshi”, to achieve India’s Viksit Bharat goals by 2047.

“We need to progress at a fast speed. Tell me if there is any change in the rules that is required,” he said, obliquely hinting that the government will clear the ways of bureaucratic red tape and procedural bottlenecks to push homegrown industries onto a faster lane, making them competitive enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with global peers.

“India is on the path of greater growth and every moment counts,” he said. “Swadeshi should be used not for majboori (compulsion) but for majbooti (strength). Today's generation should work towards making India 'Samridhh Bharat',” Modi said.