India laying foundation for global welfare: PM Modi on Independence Day

'Country has taken the form of a friend of the world', he says in speech

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India's message of unity and its international alliances lay a "strong foundation" for global welfare, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday when he addressed the nation on 77th Independence Day.

"Our national character should think about the betterment of the world. We have to make the country so strong that it can play its role for the welfare of the world. And after handling a global crisis like coronavirus, and the way we stood up as a country to help the world, the result is that our country has now taken the form of a friend of the world," he said at the Red Fort.

India is becoming the voice of the Global South and the world has joined its vision of global welfare. "Today, India is laying a strong foundation for global welfare. It is our collective responsibility to build upon this strong foundation," he said.

'One world'

India's call to ensure 'One Sun, One World, One Grid; in the field of renewable energy is being acknowledged by the world. The initiative of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) has members India, France and the United Kingdom’s commitment to build a global green energy grid focused on solar and wind energy, he said.

Modi spoke about India’s motto of 'One World, One Family, One Future', adopted for its presidency of the G20.

About conserving biodiversity, Modi said the government is working on several initiatives to protect India' environment. "As the world grapples with climate crises, we have shown the way and launched the LifeStyle for Environment – Mission LiFE initiative. We have emphasised the importance of biodiversity and advanced the establishment of the Big Cat Alliance," he said, referring to an international effort for the tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma in 97 countries.

India's vaccine diplomacy during Covid-19 has proved its capabilities. "When the world's supply chains were disrupted, when there was pressure on big economies, even at that time, we had said that we have to see the development of the world. It should be human centric and humane; that is when we will be able to find the right solutions to the problems. And Covid has taught us or has forced us to realize that we cannot do the welfare of the world by leaving human sensibilities," he said.

Referring to India's move to create the multilateral Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) in 2019, Modi said long-term arrangements are needed to meet the damage caused by natural disasters blamed on global warming.

Six members of the US House of Representatives were present at Modi's speech. Led by Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz Khanna, who are the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India, a delegation of eight American legislators is visiting Mumbai and New Delhi.