During his Independence Day speech from Red Fort today, PM Narendra Modi narrated how his government is making India self-dependent in modern technologies. He said that the country will soon be making its own semiconductors and jet engines, and will produce more clean energy.
PM Modi said that initiatives to develop semiconductor chips had started in India around 50-60 years ago, but such initiatives were buried under the boreoarctic red tape. People had planned about setting up setting up semiconductor plants 50-60 years ago, but the embryo of the idea itself was killed, he said. The PM said that had the initiatives succeeded, India would have become self-sufficient in the sector now.
He announced that while six semiconductor plants are already coming up in the country, approvals for six more have been granted. He said that first made-in-India semiconductor chip will be available in the market by the end of the year.
Talking about become atmanirbhar in energy, he said that the country is depended on foreign countries for energy sources like gas and oil, adding that it is important to become self-sufficient in energy. The PM mentioned the government’s initiatives in developing clean energy sources like solar power, hydroelectricity and hydrogen fuel energy.
The PM also announced the government’s renewed efforts in nuclear power. Significantly, he announced that India will be developing 10 new nuclear reactors. He said that the govt as resolved to increase nuclear power generation in the country by 10 times by 2047. He further announced reform in the nuclear sector, saying the government has opened the sector for private sector.
He said that the government had set the goal of increasing the share of clean energy to 50% by 2030, but the country has already achieved that goal by 2025. Which means, India now already obtains 50% of its electric energy from clean sources, that does not involve burning fossil fuel like coal, oil and gas.
He explained how India needs to spend billions of dollars in purchasing fossil fuel from foreign countries, and more clean energy India produces in the country, more money will be saved.
PM Modi also touched an important topic that has become very important in the current geopolitics and recent conflict with Pakistan, development of fighter jet engines in the country. He appealed the engineers of the country to come together to develop India’s own made-in-India jet engines for fighter jets.
He cited how India is known as pharma of the world, how the country developed Covid-19 vaccines in record time, and the development of the UPI system to say that India has full capability to develop a jet engine in the country.
#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi says, "Today, I urge the young scientists, talented youth, engineers, professionals and all departments of the Government that we should have our jet engines for our own Made in India fighter jets."
— ANI (@ANI) August 15, 2025
Video: DD pic.twitter.com/FEjtAqvktt
The comments are significant given renewed efforts in developing the Kaveri engine, under development for decades but without achieving desired power output. India had to buy engines from GE in US for its own Tejas fighters, but the supply has been delayed due to supply chain issued faced by the American company. There have been talks about collaborating with a foreign partner, like Safran or Rolls Royce, to co-develop a jet engine for India’s upcoming 5th and 6th generation fighter jets.
