New Delhi [India], August 15 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that self-reliance will pave the way for India to become a developed nation, asserting that the country must become self-reliant and protect its interests.

Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, PM Modi said, 'Self-reliance will pave the way for India to become Viksit Bharat. We must become self-reliant and protect our interests. Today, every Indian is getting connected with initiatives of Make in India, Swadeshi, Vocal for Local.'

'In the last 12 years, defence production has increased nearly fourfold, while output from Khadi and village industries has grown almost fivefold. Electronics manufacturing has expanded nearly sevenfold. The production of modern railway coaches has risen 21-fold, and mobile phone production has surged 33-fold. Beyond that, we have made our mark in the realms of digital technology and innovation. The number of internet users has nearly quadrupled, patent grants have increased fourfold, and digital transactions have grown a hundredfold. We have worked with equal seriousness to improve amenities for the common citizen. We have provided tap-water connections at an average annual rate 15 times faster than before. Gas connections have been provided at six times the previous annual speed. We have constructed toilets for the poor at four times the annual pace and provided housing for the underprivileged at three times the previous rate. The country has also undergone a massive transformation in governance; thousands of compliance requirements have been eliminated, and hundreds of archaic laws have been repealed. One cannot march into the 21st century relying on laws from the last century. We expanded metro networks to build modern infrastructure and strengthened public transport. The speed and scale at which this work has been executed--this momentum, this expansion, and these achievements--represent a transformation witnessed for the first time since independence, all within the last decade,' the PM added.

PM Modi further expressed strong confidence that India will become a developed nation by 2047. In his Independence Day address, the Prime Minister asked the citizens to work towards realising the dream of Viksit Bharat.

'The whole country is moving forward with a new resolve. India has also dreamt big--and that is the dream of becoming a developed nation by 2047. Viksit Bharat will be realised in 2047. When we (the country) pledge to become Viksit, the world also watches us. When the world's most populous country takes the resolution to become a developed nation, it becomes an introduction of our courage, and the world is compelled to look at us with a different perspective,' PM Modi said in his address to the nation on 80th Independence Day.

The Prime Minister urged citizens to dream big and work towards making those dreams a reality.

'A nation becomes great and achieves its goals when it moves forward driven by its dreams, its resolve, and its inherent strength. Small dreams will no longer suffice. We must dream big, for big dreams expand our thinking and broaden the horizons of our vision. Our resolve must be steadfast; when our resolve is firm, the capacity to carve a path forward--even amidst difficulties and disasters--naturally emerges,' he said.

'Small dreams will no longer suffice. We must dream big, because big dreams expand our thinking, broadening the horizons of our thoughts,' he added.

PM Modi hoisted the National Flag at the Red Fort. The flag hoisting was synchronised with a 21-Gun Salute by the gunners of the 1721 Field Battery (Ceremonial).

The ceremonial battery used indigenous 105mm Light Field Guns and was commanded by Major Pawan Singh Shekhawat, while Naib Subedar (Assistant Instructor in Gunnery) Anuthosh Sarkar served as the Gun Position Officer. (ANI)