Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that India is fighting the challenges of terrorism and expansionism. During his address from the Red Fort on the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day, Modi said that the nation was dealing with both challenges with great courage. Modi also said that India was receiving its highest foreign investment despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. India’s forex reserves are also at an all-time high, Modi said.

By conducting surgical and air strikes, the country had sent out the message of a ‘New India’, he said while speaking at the Red Fort. The Prime Minister said this was a sign that India is changing and was now capable of taking difficult decisions.

The nature of international relations, he added, changed after the Second World War and there is a possibility of a new world order in a post-coronavirus pandemic scenario.

“India has seen the efforts of the world and also appreciated it. Today, the world views India with a new perspective. There are two important perspectives to it.

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The prime minister also expressed faith in the current generation, and said that they can achieve any goal. “I have faith in our youth; this is a ‘can do generation’, it can achieve every goal,” he said.

He described the New Education Policy as a tool to fight poverty. He said the policy will encourage imparting education in regional languages.

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The prime minister, who hoisted the tricolour before his speech, announced a Rs 100 lakh crore ‘Gati Shakti’ initiative to bring employment opportunities for the youth and to help in holistic infrastructure growth.

India will launch the ‘Pradhan Mantri Gatishakti National Master Plan’, he said. Gati Shakti, Modi explained, will help local manufacturers turn globally competitive and also develop possibilities of new future economic zones.