PM Modi addresses nation on 80th Independence Day, presents ‘Saptdharas’ to boost Viksit Bharat vision
The 80th Independence Day address from the Red Fort outlined a seven-part policy framework (described as "Saptdharas"/"Shakti ki Saptadhara") covering manufacturing, agriculture and food processing, technology and innovation, infrastructure connectivity (Gati Shakti), defence self-reliance, the green and blue economy, and India's soft power, all framed toward the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal.
A target was announced to bring five new nuclear reactors into operation within the current decade (by around 2030), as part of a broader push to expand nuclear power capacity.
A longer-term target of 100 GW of installed nuclear power capacity by 2047 was announced, up from India's current installed nuclear capacity of roughly 7.5–8 GW.
The address linked these targets to strategic self-reliance in energy, manufacturing and defence technology as part of the century-of-independence (2047) development roadmap.
India's Civil Nuclear Power Framework
India's nuclear power sector has historically been governed by the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (regulating research, development and use of atomic energy) and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 (a no-fault liability regime for nuclear incidents). In December 2025, Parliament enacted the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, which repeals and replaces both the 1962 and 2010 laws to open the sector to greater private-sector participation. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), a Department of Atomic Energy public sector undertaking, is the primary operator of India's nuclear power plants and is expected to contribute roughly half of the 100 GW target, with private and other players expected to add the rest.
Key Details
- Atomic Energy Act, 1962 — original governing statute for India's atomic energy programme.
- Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 — introduced supplier liability provisions that were widely seen as a deterrent to foreign nuclear equipment suppliers.
- SHANTI Act (2025) — repeals and replaces both earlier laws to enable private participation in civil nuclear power.
- India's current installed nuclear capacity is around 7.5–8 GW, against a 100 GW by 2047 target — roughly a tenfold increase.
The address's five-reactors-this-decade and 100 GW-by-2047 targets sit atop this evolving legal and institutional framework; the recent SHANTI Act reform is directly relevant to how India intends to scale nuclear capacity through private participation.
Gati Shakti — National Master Plan for Infrastructure
PM Gati Shakti is a digital platform-based National Master Plan (launched 2021) for integrated infrastructure planning across 16-plus central ministries/departments, aimed at multi-modal connectivity for economic zones and reducing logistics costs. It is administered by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Key Details
- Launched in October 2021 as a ₹100-lakh-crore (₹100 trillion) national infrastructure vision.
- Integrates planning data of ministries such as Railways, Roads, Ports, and Petroleum through a GIS-based digital platform.
- Aims to cut logistics costs as a share of GDP and reduce project implementation delays from poor inter-agency coordination.
Gati Shakti was named as one of the seven pillars of the policy framework presented in the address, linking infrastructure connectivity to the broader Viksit Bharat 2047 manufacturing and growth goals.
Viksit Bharat @2047
Viksit Bharat ("Developed India") @2047 is the government's long-term vision framework targeting India's transition to a developed-nation economy by the 100th year of independence (2047), built around pillars such as manufacturing competitiveness, agricultural modernisation, technology self-reliance, infrastructure, defence indigenisation, sustainability (green/blue economy), and cultural/soft-power projection.
Key Details
- Target year: 2047, marking 100 years since India's independence in 1947.
- The framework is periodically restated with themed pillars in major government addresses (e.g., the seven pillars referenced in the 2026 address).
- Distinct from, but feeds into, five-year plan-style sectoral targets such as the nuclear capacity goals above.
The seven-part framework announced in the address is explicitly positioned as the organising structure for achieving the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, making this a useful current-affairs hook for a broader static topic on India's long-term development planning architecture.
- Target: five new nuclear reactors operational within the current decade (by around 2030).
- Target: 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, up from about 7.5–8 GW currently installed.
- NPCIL expected to contribute close to 50% of the 100 GW target.
- The seven-pillar framework covers: manufacturing, agriculture and food processing, technology and innovation, Gati Shakti (infrastructure), defence, green and blue economy, and soft power.
- Viksit Bharat target year: 2047 (100th year of India's independence).