Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday during his Independence Day speech at Red Fort urged Indians to “dream big” and “pledge big”, saying a nation achieves its goals when it moves forward on the strength of its dreams, resolve and capabilities.

He called for stronger energy security and more nuclear power capacity, saying India had turned “no-go areas” into “go-ahead areas”. He said the country needed to expand nuclear power as part of its efforts to secure its energy needs.

“Energy security is the demand of the time. We are moving forward with the aim of 100 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2047. We aim to start five new nuclear reactors in this decade,” PM Modi said.

“The country gained independence—independence accompanied by many dreams. Yet, we failed to pick up pace or gather momentum. We remained mired in an attitude of ‘hoti hai,’ ‘chalti hai,’ ‘ho jaega,’ or ‘dekha jaega.’ By 2014, the entire world had relegated us to the ranks of the “Fragile Five.” Amidst that, over the last 12 years, India has gathered new momentum. We are surging ahead rapidly, and the resolve of our 1.4 billion citizens is such that nothing can now halt our collective determination and capability…” he said.

“In today’s digital world and technological landscape, we understand the immense importance of chips. Whether it is electronic goods, medical equipment, or transportation systems, chips are indispensable; without them, the world would come to a standstill,” he said.

PM Modi also talked about the artificial intelligence skilling courses saying one crore youth will be trained in artificial intelligence skilling courses.

He further stressed the importance of technological development in the nation, which is part of the ‘Saptadhara’ (seven streams of power) vision by the Prime Minister.

On semiconductors, he said seven to eight new production plants are expected to become operational within the next one to two years, and added that India aims to achieve 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, with five new reactors expected to be operational within the next six to seven years.

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