August 15, 2026, was celebrated in India as the 80th Independence Day, the first one having occurred on August 15, 1947, with 79 years completed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave an optimistic and forward-looking speech that also reflected on the progress India has made in the last 12 years. The Times of India put it this way: “in the initial year, Prime Minister Modi focused on issues such as toilets, bank accounts, poverty and fertiliser shortages. That has given way to attention to priorities like 6G, semiconductor, AI and quantum computing.”
Modi said, “My dear countrymen, any nation becomes great and achieves its goals when it moves forward on the strength of its dreams, its resolutions, and its capabilities. We cannot live with small dreams anymore. We need big dreams, because big dreams broaden our thinking and expand the horizon of our vision. Our resolutions must be firm—when a resolution is firm, the ability to find a way through difficulties emerges within us.”
Modi announced plans to start five new nuclear reactors within the decade and also announced progress in fast breeder nuclear technology. He said that 12 years ago, only 70 cities in India had piped gas supply, but this is now 700 cities. He said that 32 million homes now have piped-in gas.
Access to some form of social security coverage in India has soared from 250 million people to over one billion.
He said that India is becoming and will become a top producer of technology, pharmaceuticals, and more, and that the issue is “quality, quality, quality.”
Modi also called for women to be represented in the legislature at the rate of 30%.
