New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a stern warning to Pakistan from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort on the occassion of India’s 79th Independence Day on Friday, saying that nuclear threats will no longer be tolerated.

“India has decided that it will not tolerate nuclear threats anymore, we won’t fall for any blackmail. Destruction inflicted by our armed forces in Pakistan was so widespread, new revelations are being made every day. After April 22 (the Pahalgam terror attack), we gave armed forces a free hand to respond to terrorists,” the PM said.

On the issue of the Indus Waters Treaty that India has kept in abeyance since the deadly terror attack, Modi repeated that blood and water cannot flow together.

“India has now decided, blood and water will not flow together. The people have come to realize that the Indus Waters Treaty is unjust. Water from the Indus River system has been irrigating the lands of the enemy, while our own farmers have suffered. What kind of agreement is this that has caused such immense loss to our farmers for the past seven decades,” he said.

“Our military will decide the time and give a fitting response to all acts of terror. Pakistan has lost its sleep after Operation Sindoor. India and its farmers have sole right over its share of waters,” Modi added.

Speaking on the importance of Atmanirbharta, the Prime Minister said that dependence on others makes a country weak.

“Slavery made us poor. It made us dependent, and over time, our dependence on others only grew. But our farmers led us toward self-reliance and ensured our food security. Even today, a nation’s true pride lies in self-reliance, and that is the foundation of Viksit Bharat. Dependence on others raises questions about a nation’s independence. It is unfortunate when dependence becomes a habit, a dangerous one. That’s why we must remain aware and committed to becoming self-reliant. Self-reliance is not just about exports, imports, the rupee, or the dollar. It is about our capabilities, our strength to stand on our own,” he said.

Highlighting the use of indigenous weapons systems during Operation Sindoor, Modi said: “Our enemies had no idea about the capability of ‘Made in India’, which weapons are simple and which are powerful enough to destroy them in a moment. Just think, if we were not self-reliant, would we have been able to carry out Operation Sindoor with such speed?”

Made-in-India chips will hit the market by the end of the year, the PM said. He also spoke on advances being made in the field of alternate sources of energy.

“We are working in mission mode in the semiconductor sector, made-in-India chips will hit markets by end of this year. We have decided to make India self-reliant in energy; taking several initiatives in solar, hydrogen, nuclear sectors. India is now focusing actively on nuclear energy. We have taken significant steps in this direction, with 10 new nuclear reactors currently operational. By the time India celebrates 100 years of independence, we aim to increase our nuclear energy capacity tenfold,” he said.

He called for development in all sectors and urged the youth of the country to participate in the process.

“Today, India is building a modern ecosystem across every sector. I appeal to the youth and to every department of the government: we must strive to produce Made-in-India jet engines for our fighter aircraft. We are known as the pharmacy of the world, but isn’t it the need of the hour to invest more in research and development? Shouldn’t we be the ones providing the best and most affordable medicines for the welfare of humanity?”

“Our Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla has returned from the International Space Station, a moment of great pride for the nation. India is actively working on the Gaganyaan mission and is also planning its own space station. We must come together to change the destiny of our country. I appeal to the youth: step forward and contribute to this mission of national transformation,” Modi said.

He called on Indian businesses to come up with high quality products that are cheaper and more competitive in the global market.

“The world values quality, and if we want to strengthen India’s image in the global market, we must focus on producing high-quality products. We should work with the mantra: ‘Daam kam, dum zyada’, lower cost, higher value. Our independence came through immense sacrifice. Remember those years, when an entire nation lived and struggled for freedom. Their dedication gave us independence. Today, our mantra should be ‘Samriddh Bharat’, a prosperous India. If we continue to be vocal for local, we will achieve prosperity. The previous generation gave us freedom; this generation must commit to making India truly prosperous. Need of hour to take a resolve for building a ‘samarth’ (strong) Bharat, just like our freedom fighters had envisioned ‘free India’,” he said.

The Prime Minister also announced a scheme worth Rs 1 lakh crore to provide employment to the youth.

“I have good news for the youth of our country. Today, on the 15th of August, we are launching a landmark scheme worth Rs 1 lakh crore, the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana. Under this scheme, the government will provide Rs 15,000 as support to individuals who secure their first job in the private sector. This initiative is expected to generate 3.5 crore job opportunities across the nation. I am also going to give a great gift on Diwali. In last 8 years, we did a big reform in GST, tax was simplified, now it is the demand of the time to make a review, we did, also talked to states, we are bringing ‘next generation GST reform’, it will be a gift on Diwali, tax on common, individual requirement services would be reduced significantly… MSMEs would benefit, it will also help the economy,” Modi said.

“We celebrate our diversity, it is our heritage. We witnessed this beautifully during the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, where the spirit of unity in diversity truly comes alive. India is rich in linguistic diversity, and to honor that, we have granted classical language status to Marathi, Assamese, Bangla, Pali, and Prakrit…I also salute the dedication of RSS volunteers in serving the nation for the past 100 years. India is proud of the RSS’ 100 years of dedication towards country, it is the biggest NGO in the world,” he further said.