Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the nation from Delhi's Red Fort, on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the nation from Delhi's Red Fort, on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day.

"I pay homage to all those who contributed to the independence of the country and made sacrifices. The largest democracy in the world and now also the leading country in terms of population, 140 crore members of my family are celebrating Independence Day today," the prime minister said, as he began his speech from the Red Fort.

"Our decisions and sacrifices in this period will impact the next 1000 years. India is marching ahead with new confidence and resolve. Demography, democracy and diversity have the potential to realise all the dreams of the country. In 2014, people decided to take the country forward and India was freed from an era of instability," PM Modi said today.

In the wake of violence and incidents of atrocities against women in Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "India is with the people of the state. The situation in Manipur has been peaceful for the past few days and the Central government will continue to work for the welfare of the country and of the state. The path for a resolution in Manipur will be found through peace."

From the Red Fort, PM Modi lauded the contribution of the youth and said, "Those from tier 2 and tier 3 cities also making a lot of impact in various fields, including start-ups. The world is technology-driven. With its talent in technology, India will have a new role and impact on the global stage. India's biggest capability is trust - people's trust in the government, in the country's bright future and the world's trust in India," the prime minister said.

"India is hosting the G20 Summit. Several G20 events are being held across the country. The world is now watching India's diversity and capabilities with great enthusiasm. The ball is in our court and we should not let go of opportunity. No ifs and buts on anyone's mind about India's capabilities. Global experts say that India will not stop now. All rating agencies are lauding the country," the prime minister said.

"India's capabilities in space technology are rising rapidly. Deep sea mission, modernisation of railways - Vande Bharat, Bullet train - we are working on all. The Internet has reached villages, while we are working on nano urea, we are also focusing on organic farming," the prime minister said.

"As a new world order emerged after World War, I can see a new world order taking shape after the Covid-19 pandemic. After the Covid pandemic, holistic healthcare was the need of the hour. Yoga and Ayush are being acknowledged globally. I can clearly see that a new geopolitical equation is moving ahead after the pandemic and the definition of the geopolitical equation has changed," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said from the Red Fort.

At the Red Fort, PM Modi today said, "'Nation First' is the bedrock of our policies. I gained the strength to pull off reforms after the people formed a government in 2014 and then in 2019. I have faith in the power of youth. Young people have the capabilities and our policies and rituals are meant to give them strength. Our youth have taken India to the first three startup ecosystems in the world."

Speaking of corruption, PM Modi said, "Government's every moment, every rupee is going towards the welfare of citizens. The government and citizens are united and we built a strong economy and stopped leakages. In five years, over 13.5 crore poor people came out of poverty to become part of the neo-middle, middle classes."

"We will launch 'Vishwakarma Yojana' with an outlay of Rs 13,000-15,000 crore to help our workers. It is 'Modi's guarantee' that India will become the third-largest global economy in the next five years. I want to thank the mothers, sisters and daughters of my country for their capabilities. I want to thank the farmers for their efforts that India is moving ahead in the agriculture sector," the prime minister said.