Independence Day highlights: Ready to counter global challenges against India, says PM Modi

PM Narendra Modi Speech highlights: PM Modi stated it is a day to pay tribute to the countless people who made sacrifices and struggled for the country's freedom

78th Independence Day 2024 highlights: India is the only country among G20 nations to have achieved its climate targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement ahead of schedule, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 78th Independence Day, he said India's efforts to tackle the global issue of climate change have "reassured and surprised" the world. "I want to tell the world about the strength of my country's people. My country and its people have accomplished what other G20 nations have not.

"We have met the climate targets set under the Paris Agreement ahead of schedule. India is the only nation among the G20 countries to do so, and we are proud of it," the prime minister said. As part of its national climate plan, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, India has committed to achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based electricity installed capacity by 2030. PM Modi expressed his confidence that India will meet this target.

Search engine giant Google on Thursday celebrated India's 78th Independence Day with a special doodle themed on traditional doors. In the digital artwork, the letters 'G', 'O', 'O', 'G', 'L' and 'E' of the company's name are depicted on each door carrying a distinct ornate design.Google India also shared a note on the doodle on its website. "Today's Doodle, illustrated by Vrinda Zaveri, celebrates Independence Day in India! On this day in 1947, India gained its freedom from colonial rule," the internet giant said in the note. The people of India strongly desired "self-governance and sovereignty after nearly two centuries of inequality, violence, and lack of fundamental rights". Led by prominent figures like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian independence movement was made possible through civil disobedience. The perseverance and sacrifices of the country's freedom fighters paid off, it said.