80th Independence Day: PM Modi Highlights Critical Minerals, Energy Security And Nuclear Power

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday placed critical minerals, energy security and domestic resource exploration at the centre of India’s future growth strategy.

Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, PM Modi said critical minerals were vital for advanced technologies.

The Prime Minister said India had launched the National Critical Minerals Mission and announced a Critical Minerals Corridor.

India is signing agreements with several countries to secure mineral supplies.

Prime Minister Modi said global confidence in India was growing in this sector.

The Prime Minister linked mineral security with rising energy demand from artificial intelligence, semiconductor manufacturing and data centres. He said India would need electricity on a massive scale to support these technologies.

PM Modi stressed energy security, saying nuclear power is vital and the SHANTI Act has opened a new path for the sector.

India now targets 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047. The government plans to start five new nuclear reactors within this decade.

Prime Minister Modi said India had opened up new areas for exploration and was searching for resources beneath the sea.

Referring to the Samudra Manthan initiative, PM Modi said the government had recently allocated Rs 85,000 crore to accelerate the programme. He criticised past restrictions, saying India had declared 99 per cent of its coastal areas no-go zones.

The Prime Minister highlighted India’s expanding energy infrastructure.

The piped natural gas network has grown from 70 cities before 2014 to 700 today.

Piped gas connections have risen from barely 20–22 lakh households to nearly 1.75 crore households under ongoing work.

Solar capacity has surged from 2 GW around 12 years ago. It has now reached 160 GW, reflecting India’s rapid expansion of clean energy.