Independence Day 2021: Modi Announces National Hydrogen Mission Amid Climate Change

PM Modi began his speech by remembering the freedom fighters, ANI tweeted.

India’s scientists and entrepreneurs, Modi said, helped the country be self-reliant in Covid-19 vaccines.

• 54 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered

• 80 crore people have been given free rations during the pandemic

India is the only country among G-20 that is moving rapidly towards achieving its climate goals, Modi said. "[It] reached 100 GW of renewable energy ahead of timeline; toward target of 475 GW by 2030."

He also announced National Hydrogen Mission, toward green hydrogen development. "Need to make India a hub of green hydrogen production and export."

India is not energy-independent today, spends Rs 12 lakh crore annually on energy imports, the prime minister said.

• Need to resolve that the country shall be energy independent before 100th year of Independence.

The next generation of reforms to put primacy on citizens getting seamless delivery of services up to last mile, Modi said.

• To ensure overall development, will need to end needless intervention of the government in people’s lives.

Yesterday’s startups are today’s unicorns, and the country’s new wealth creators, according to Prime Minister Modi.

• Need to work towards making India’s startup ecosystem the best in the world.

Production-linked incentive schemes have changed the manufacturing dynamics in sectors like electronics, Modi said.

"India used to import $8 billion of electronic goods seven years ago, we now export electronic goods worth $3 billion and imports are much lower," he said in his Independence Day speech.

Weak infrastructure hurts the pace of economic development, advanced economies have robust infrastructure as their bedrock, Modi said. "Need to work collaboratively for next generation infrastructure, world-class manufacturing, cutting-edge innovation, new-age technology."

The government, he said, would present national master plan with integrated approach to infrastructure. "Will launch Pradhan Mantri Gati Shakti Yojana for developing holistic infrastructure."

Modi said the government would set up an e-commerce platform for products of self-help groups.

"To find domestic and international markets for products made by over 8 crore women in self-help groups via e-commerce, digital platform," he said in his Independence Day speech.

Work’s being done on having assembly elections in Jammu & Kashmir in the future, Modi said.

• Delimitation Commission has been constituted for Jammu & Kashmir.

• Preparations underway for assembly elections to be held in the future.

According to the prime minister, work on connecting all state capitals in the northeast by rail will complete soon. "Need to maximise economic potential in the northeast in the areas of tourism, adventure sports, organic farming, herbal medicine."

ANI in a tweet quoted Modi saying that "75 Vande Bharat trains would connect every corner of India in 75 weeks of Amrit Mahotsav of Independence".

Over 75,000 health and wellness centres have been created, Modi said.

• Work being done to have good hospitals and advanced labs at the block level.

• Thousands of hospitals will have their own oxygen plants very soon.

The government needs to now set full saturation targets for its key schemes, Modi said in his Red Fort Address. "Should set deadline of just a few years for government schemes to reach saturation point."

"Need to ensure road in every single village; all families have bank accounts; every possible beneficiary has Ayushman Bharat cards, Ujwala scheme and gas connection, insurance and pension, housing benefits."

• Over 4.5 crore families have begun to get tap water in 2 years of Jal Jeevan Mission.

• Expansion of government schemes to universal coverage will ensure no one is left out, eliminates scope for corruption.

According to the prime minister, the country will fortify rice distribution programmes carried out under various schemes. "Poor beneficiaries to be given nutrient-rich rice, fortifying distribution done via PDS outlets and children’s mid-day meals."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the nation on Sunday from the Red Fort, as India celebrates its 75th Independence Day.

Indian Olympic athletes will attend the ceremony in Delhi, where preparations have been underway for the hoisting of the nation's flag. Security has been tightened across the national capital.

The Defence Ministry on Friday said on Twitter it virtually launched a series of events, organised by the Armed Forces and various other organisations of the ministry, to mark the occassion, being celebrated as ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’. The events, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “represent the Indian ethos of ‘unity in diversity’.”

The Independence Day celebrations come even as the country continues to battle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and concerns of a third wave of Covid-19 infections. The nation of 130 crore people had reported a peak of 4 lakh new cases of the disease in May as the delta variant of the pathogen caused a deadlier second wave, ravaging across cities to hinterland.

Several states across the country had imposed lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus. The restrictions started to ease gradually from June.