New Delhi: In a call to elevate national ambition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Indians on Saturday to “dream big to achieve big,” casting shared ambition as the driving force behind India’s push to become a developed nation by 2047.
Addressing the country from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, he said that when a nation sets its sights high, it naturally pushes harder to reach bigger milestones.
“We need to dream big. Our resolve should be high. When dreams and resolve are big, we strive harder to achieve our goals,” the Prime Minister said.
Expressing confidence that India will be a developed country by 2047, PM Modi said the nation is now dreaming of scaling new heights and that the country will turn its vision of “Viksit Bharat” into reality, as reported by NDTV.
“We have to achieve this. All 140 crore of us have to achieve this. This becomes a sign of our courage in the eyes of the world; the world starts seeing us differently.”
Applauding the role of every section of society in advancing the “Viksit Bharat” mission, the Prime Minister said: “In the last 12 years, crores of people – whether Dalit, oppressed, poor, middle-class, or youth – each one has taken a vow, and with dedication, they have tried to take the country to new heights. I respect that. It’s because of this effort that over 25 crore people have been pulled out of poverty.”
“Every Indian is trying in their own way to take India forward. I acknowledge the efforts of every Indian.”
Highlighting that the world has taken note of a new, self-assured India, the Prime Minister said: “The courage to dream big and achieve big is the hallmark of the new India, and the world has been forced to take note of our efforts.”
“Our resolve should be strong. When resolve is strong, we work to find ways amid all the challenges and problems, and emerge victorious.”
Focusing on the idea of aatmanirbharta, or self-reliance, PM Modi said: “We have the conviction that we don’t want India to be reliant on others. We have to become self-reliant. We get everything in the country. Hence, we have to improve and protect ourselves and take a resolve for swadeshi, self-reliance, and ‘Vocal for Local’.”
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister visited Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, before proceeding to the Red Fort for the Independence Day ceremony.
In a historic first, this year’s Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort featured the national song, Vande Mataram, being played for the first time since 1947.
