From AI to Semiconductors, Modi Unveils Roadmap for Viksit Bharat 2047
The announcements formed part of a broader pitch for accelerating reforms and building self-reliance, with the prime minister saying India would have to accomplish in the next five to seven years what it could not achieve in the previous five to seven decades.
By : PTI
Update: 2026-08-15 10:58 GMT
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced a clutch of initiatives ranging from AI training for one crore youth and free online coaching for competitive examinations to a nationwide sports talent hunt and a modern civil defence network as he laid out his roadmap for a developed India by 2047.
In his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi also set a target of raising India's nuclear power capacity to 100 GW by 2047, announced plans for more semiconductor plants and said the government would aim to create six crore "Lakhpati Didis", doubling its earlier target.
The announcements formed part of a broader pitch for accelerating reforms and building self-reliance, with the prime minister saying India would have to accomplish in the next five to seven years what it could not achieve in the previous five to seven decades.
AI push for one crore youth
Modi announced that one crore young people would be trained in artificial intelligence skills over the next year while underlining the growing importance of emerging technologies.
"Today is the age of AI, quantum technology, space, robotics and data centres," he said, arguing that India should not merely become a market for global technology but emerge as a hub of innovation.
Modi said India had demonstrated its capabilities through UPI and digital public infrastructure and should now aim to lead in next-generation technologies, including 6G.
He also highlighted India's startup ecosystem, saying there were more than 2.5 lakh registered startups, and referred to the Rs 1 lakh crore Innovation Fund.
Free online coaching In another youth-focused announcement, Modi said the government would create a network to provide free online coaching to those preparing for various examinations.
He said coaching had become a major financial burden for poor and middle-class families, with parents often feeling compelled to send their children to coaching institutes.
The proposed system would bring together India's digital public infrastructure, teachers and available talent to provide online coaching, helping students stay close to their homes while reducing the financial burden on families, he said.
Talent hunt for 'future Olympians' With India looking to host the 2036 Olympics, Modi announced a nationwide talent hunt to identify promising sportspersons between the ages of five and 15 in villages, cities and schools.
The selected children would be assessed and provided specialised training to develop them into athletes capable of representing India.
Modi pointed out that the Olympics feature around 325-350 events, but India does not participate or qualify in nearly two-thirds of them.
"If we need athletes for 2036, we must focus today on these young boys and girls who are 5, 10 or 15 years old," he said.
Modi said India was emerging as a strong contender to host the 2036 Olympics and would host the Commonwealth Games in 2030.
Civil defence for modern warfare
Highlighting the changing nature of warfare, Modi announced the creation of a "vibrant" civil defence network and a large voluntary force trained to respond to modern threats.
He said wars were no longer guaranteed to remain confined to borders and could involve attacks on refineries, banks, data centres, factories and other critical infrastructure.
"The civil defence systems that have developed in our country in accordance with the wars of the last century have become outdated and hence, I am announcing today from the Red Fort that, in the coming days, we will create a vibrant network of civil defence," he said.
Citizens would be familiarised with modern systems and trained to respond to newer types of threats, he said.
More semiconductor plants
Making a pitch for technological self-reliance, Modi said another five to eight semiconductor plants were expected to come up over the next seven to eight years.
He said three major semiconductor plants had already started and production from these facilities had begun to be exported.
Calling chips indispensable to everything, from electronics and medical equipment to transportation systems, Modi said semiconductor self-reliance would provide India a "great highway" towards becoming a developed nation.
100 GW nuclear power by 2047
Modi said India was working towards achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047 and aimed to start five new nuclear reactors within this decade.
Linking the target to the growing electricity requirements of chips, artificial intelligence and data centres, he said energy security had become a national imperative.
He said India had also achieved an important milestone this year in fast breeder nuclear technology, describing it as a major step towards self-reliance in nuclear fuel.
Six crore Lakhpati Didis
Women-led development formed another major plank of the address, with Modi announcing a target of creating six crore Lakhpati Didis after saying the earlier target of three crore had been surpassed.
The creation of another three crore Lakhpati Didis would bring about a "massive transformation" in the rural economy through the strength of women, he said.
The Lakhpati Didi initiative, launched in 2023, seeks to enable women members of self-help groups to earn a sustainable annual household income of at least Rs 1 lakh by helping them take up livelihood activities through skill development and financial support.
The announcements were part of Modi's larger "sapta dhara" (seven streams of strength) vision for a developed India, encompassing manufacturing, agriculture and food processing, technology and innovation, Gati Shakti, defence power, the green and blue economies, and India's soft power.