Industry leaders across India have strongly backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address, pledging to turn his vision into concrete action.

The Prime Minister outlined seven key areas of national development, which he described as 'Sapta Dharas' (a seven-point reform framework), aimed at boosting manufacturing, agriculture, technological innovation, defence, energy, infrastructure and soft power.

India Inc expressed readiness to invest in these strategic sectors, aligning with the broader national goal of achieving developed status by 2047.

Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry, said that as India marked 80 years of Independence, Modi’s address placed people, sustainability and India’s global strengths at the centre of the development journey.

He emphasised that the Prime Minister’s call for Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India and Vocal for Local reflected growing confidence in building a self‑reliant, future‑ready nation. He noted that India had moved from being among the Fragile Five economies to becoming the fastest‑growing major economy in just over a decade.

Banerjee added that industry shared the Prime Minister’s resolve to build on this momentum and was prepared to match it with sustained investment in areas of strategic importance.

He identified agriculture and food processing as a real opportunity, pointing out that wider market access through free trade agreements could help take Indian farm produce to global markets.

He said building global brands around millets, spices, fruits and flowers would open new opportunities for farmers and rural enterprises, while strengthening India’s position in global value chains.

He also highlighted Modi’s focus on nuclear energy, semiconductors and the green and blue economies, saying these pointed to where India’s next decade of growth would come from. He added that the recognition of India’s soft power added a fresh dimension to the country’s global economic presence.

In his 75‑minute speech delivered on the nation’s 80th Independence Day, Modi listed the seven streams of development: manufacturing, power, agriculture and food processing, technology and innovation, gatishakti, defence power, green economy and blue economy, and soft power.

He called for developing a vibrant civil defence infrastructure and pitched for making India a global hub for defence manufacturing. He placed special emphasis on self‑reliance in advanced capabilities such as hypersonic technology and drone systems.

The Prime Minister also promised to provide free online coaching for various exams, noting that coaching classes had become a burden for the poor and middle class. He exhorted Indians to dream big to achieve the goal of a developed India by 2047, saying the world would be compelled to look at the country differently as it worked towards this dream.

Modi stressed the need to strengthen domestic capacity in critical areas, including energy and minerals, as geopolitical tensions increasingly exposed the risks of dependence on external sources.

He announced that India had taken a step towards self‑reliance in the nuclear power sector, with the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu attaining criticality this year.

Nirmal Kumar Minda, President of ASSOCHAM, said the seven‑stream Sapta Dhara framework provided a broad‑based approach to inclusive, sustainable and accelerated development. He emphasised that the focus on self‑reliance, Vocal for Local, domestic manufacturing and strategic capabilities was highly significant for strengthening India’s economic resilience.

Minda added that the Prime Minister’s Independence Day vision provided strong confidence to Indian industry and the wider business community.

The collective response from India Inc underscores a readiness to translate Modi’s vision into action, with industry leaders pledging investment, innovation and strategic support. The alignment between government priorities and industry commitment reflects a shared determination to accelerate India’s transformation into a developed nation by 2047.

PTI