Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s annual Independence Day speeches from the Red Fort have become a platform for unveiling transformative policy initiatives and laying out ambitious plans for the country.

Over the past decade, these speeches have showcased a blend of ambitious reforms aimed at transforming various sectors of the economy, enhancing social welfare, and strengthening national security.

Here’s a look at some of the major policy announcements made by PM Modi during these annual addresses.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Make in India (2014)

In his first Independence Day speech after taking office, PM Modi announced the Swachh Bharat or Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on August 15, 2014. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Campaign Clean India) is a national level campaign by the Government of India covering 4041 statutory towns to clean the streets, roads and infrastructure of the country. This campaign was officially launched on 2 October 2014 at Rajghat in New Delhi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself wielded broom and cleaned a road. The India’s biggest ever cleanliness drive, is aimed at eliminating open defecation, improve solid waste management, and promote sanitation across the country. The mission sought to foster a sense of cleanliness and hygiene among citizens while working towards achieving the goal of a “Clean India” by 2 October 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. PM Modi also launched the Make in India initiative in his 2014 address, aiming to boost manufacturing and attract foreign investment in the country. The initiative focuses on enhancing India’s industrial capabilities, improving the ease of doing business, and promoting the country as a global manufacturing hub. It covers various sectors including defence, electronics, and automobiles.

Start-up India, Stand up India (2015)

On August 15, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ‘Start-up India, Stand up India’ to promote bank financing for start-ups and offer incentives to boost entrepreneurship and job creation. Addressing the nation on the 69th Independence Day, he said, “We are looking at systems for enabling start-ups. We want to enable start-ups to make India No. 1 in this field…. Start-up India; Stand up India.” Launched in 2016, Start-Up India and Stand-Up India are transformative programs designed to address different facets of entrepreneurship and economic development in India. While Start-Up India focuses on creating a vibrant ecosystem for new and innovative businesses across the country, Stand-Up India aims to provide targeted support to underrepresented groups, ensuring inclusivity and broader participation in the entrepreneurial landscape. Both initiatives reflect the Indian government’s commitment to fostering innovation, economic growth, and social empowerment.

Digital India Initiative (2016)

During his Independence Day speech in 2016, PM Modi emphasised the importance of the Digital India campaign, which had been launched earlier that year. The initiative aimed to enhance digital infrastructure across the country, promote e-governance, and increase digital literacy. The goal was to integrate technology into everyday life and governance to foster efficiency and innovation. PM Modi also touched on the critical need for Jal Jeevan Mission, which was though formally announced later. During his speech, he called for improved water management and access to clean drinking water to all. He highlighted the government’s commitment to addressing water scarcity issues and improving rural water supply infrastructure.

75 years of Quit India Movement (2017)

This year, the Prime Minister mentioned as the country marks 75 years of Quit India Movement and 100th anniversary of Champaran satyagraha, Indians must be determined to create a ‘New India’. “India witnessed her collective strength from 1942 to 1947. Similarly, next five years, 2017 to 2022 are crucial for the country’s progress,” PM Modi had said.

Ayushman Bharat Scheme (2018)

The Prime Minister announced the Ayushman Bharat scheme, also known as the National Health Protection Scheme, on 15 August 2018 and was formally launched on 23 September, 2018. This ambitious health insurance scheme aimed to provide coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation. The goal was to improve access to quality healthcare for economically vulnerable families. “The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan (Ayushman Bharat Scheme) will be launched on 25 September (Deendayal Upadhyaya’s birth anniversary) this year. It is high time we ensure that the poor of India get access to good quality and affordable healthcare,” he had said. During his speech, PM Modi also highlighted the successful implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), a major tax reform intended to create a unified tax structure across India, reduce tax evasion, and simplify the tax regime. This move was seen as a significant step towards creating a more efficient and transparent tax system.

Jal Jeevan Mission (2019)

The Jal Jeevan Mission was formally announced on August 15, 2019, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech. The mission targets to cover over 19 crore rural households, ensuring that every household has a functional tap water connection. The programme is designed to address water scarcity issues, improve rural water supply infrastructure, and enhance the quality of life for rural residents. The mission includes a focus on ensuring the quality of drinking water. It mandates regular water quality testing and the implementation of water purification technologies where necessary.

Make for World, Vocal for Local (2020)

Addressing the nation from Red Fort to mark the 74th Independence Day, PM Modi put forward the mantra of ‘Make for World’ alongside his pet initiative of Make in India. He also promoted the concept of ‘vocal for local’. “The mindset of free India should be ‘vocal for local’. We should appreciate our local products, if we don’t do this then our products will not get the opportunity to do better and will not get encouraged,” PM Modi had said. PM Modi reiterated the importance of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, which was launched on 12 May 2020, emphasising the need for India to become more self-reliant in the wake of the global pandemic. He highlighted the campaign’s goals of boosting local manufacturing, reducing dependency on imports, and supporting various sectors of the economy. PM Modi also introduced the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), a comprehensive initiative aimed at creating a digital health ecosystem in India. The mission aims to provide a unique health ID for every Indian, streamline health records, and improve the accessibility and efficiency of healthcare services.

Prime Minister Gati Shakti (2021)

On 15 August 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Prime Minister Gati Shakti, also known as National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity, to boost Indian Economic Growth. The megaproject worth $1.2 trillion is to provide competitive advantage for manufacturing in India. The plan was launched on 13 October 2021 to provide multimodal connectivity infrastructure to all economic zones of India and approved on 21 October 2021 by Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. PM Modi said that along with modern infrastructure, there is a need for adopting a holistic and integrated approach in infrastructure construction. “We are going to launch National Master Plan of Prime Minister ‘Gati Shakti’ which will be a huge scheme and fulfill the dreams of crores of countrymen. This scheme of more than 100 lakh crores rupees will result in new employment opportunities for lakhs of youth,” he had said while announcing the project. During his Independence Day speech, PM Modi introduced the National Hydrogen Mission, aiming to make India a global leader in hydrogen energy. The mission focuses on promoting the use of hydrogen as a clean energy source and developing technologies for hydrogen production and utilization.

‘Panch Pran’, 5G mobile technology (2022)

On the 76th year of Independence in 2022, PM Modi called for moving forward with 5 pledges to fulfil freedom fighters’ dreams by 2047, referring it as ‘Panch Pran’. “We must work on Panch Praan (resolve): 1. Country will take on big aims like developed India. 2. We must not suffer even a scintilla of a colonised mind. 3. We must be proud of our heritage. 4. Unity and unified purpose. 5. The duties of citizens (including PMs, CMs) to work for the country,” said PM Modi. He also announced that 5G mobile technology will be available in India soon. During his speech, PM Modi also emphasised the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP), which aimed to overhaul the education system with a focus on holistic learning, vocational training, and digital literacy. The NEP sought to make education more relevant to contemporary needs and enhance the quality of learning.

G20 Presidency and Digital Health Initiatives (2023)

In his August 15, 2023, address, PM Modi highlighted India’s role as the G20 presidency for the year, emphasising the country’s commitment to leading global economic discussions and promoting international cooperation on key issues. He also introduced the Digital Health Initiative, which aimed to leverage technology to improve healthcare delivery, enhance health data management, and expand telemedicine services, making healthcare more accessible and efficient. He also announced the expansion of the Smart Cities Mission, and the launch of a National AI Portal. He also revealed plans to extend the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana for more LPG connections, and introduced new clean energy projects to boost renewable capacity.

With inputs from agencies

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Swachh Bharat to Start-up India, 10 big policies PM Modi announced from Red Fort