7 pillars, 1 goal: PM Modi lays out ‘Saptadhara’ blueprint for ‘Viksit Bharat’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspects the guard of honour during the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort. In the 75-minute-long speech, one of his shortest, the PM also warned the country against what he called were dimaagi Naxals (intellectual Naxals).

The ceremony was the first when the full six stanzas of the Vande Mataram was played. Today, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I invoke seven streams or saptadhara of power before the country.

What Happened

Calling for a major expansion of manufacturing, the PM described it as a key driver of India’s future economic growth. The second stream was agriculture and food processing.

• You will be surprised to know that we declared 99% of our coastline as a no-go area.

• He also announced 10 million young people will be trained in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the next one year.

• In the speech, Modi called on all political parties to support 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, emphasising it as the call of the hour.

Key Details

We must go from the farm to the export market. The third stream was technology and innovation.

• The appeal came months after the government’s efforts to muster the two-thirds majority required for constitution amendment bills that implemented women’s quota and increased the size of the Lok Sabha to 815 seats by.

• To be sure, Parliament had passed the women reservation bill or Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in 2023, which proposed to roll out women reservation from 2034 on the basis of the ongoing census data.

• But the government wants to pass a new bill to implement reservation in 2029.

Why It Matters

We have proven our mettle in UPI and digital public infrastructure. Defence was the fifth stream, Modi said, adding that India has to build defence manufacturing and self-reliant defence.

• Come forward to honour women and ensure that our mothers and sisters secure 33% representation in the legislative assemblies and the Lok Sabha as soon as possible.

• What measures can protect citizens from modern-day challenges?

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by Hindustan Times as more details emerge