In his address to the nation on the 79th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a bold vision for India’s energy self-reliance, highlighting a decade of remarkable progress in the renewable energy sector and announcing the launch of the National Deep Water Exploration Mission to tap domestic oil and gas reserves beneath the country’s oceans.
Highlighting India’s historical dependence on imported petrol, diesel, and gas, the Prime Minister stressed the urgent need to become self-sufficient in energy.
“Lakhs of crores of rupees were wasted [on importing petrol, diesel, gas, etc from many countries]. If we were not dependent on energy imports, that money could have been used for the youth, farmers and villages of our country,” said the prime minister.
PM Modi added that the government is focused on making India self-reliant in the energy sector.
Over the past eleven years, India has made remarkable progress in the renewable energy sector under the leadership of PM Modi. India has achieved the 50% clean energy target in 2025 itself, five years ahead of schedule.
Solar power generation capacity has increased more than 39 times, from 2.82 GW in 2014 to 110.9 GW in 2025. Large-scale hydropower projects are underway through the construction of new dams. Under National Green Hydrogen Mission, the government is investing thousands of crores of rupees to position India as a global hydrogen hub.
The government is also undertaking major initiatives in nuclear energy. “In the field of nuclear energy, ten new reactors are progressing rapidly. By 2047, when the nation will complete 100 years of independence—the year we have set as the target for achieving the goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’—we are moving forward with the resolve to increase our nuclear energy capacity more than tenfold,” said the prime minister.
PM Modi added that the government has opened the doors of nuclear energy to the private sector as well. He also announced the launch of National Deep Water Exploration Mission—a major initiative aimed at exploring oil and gas reserves under the sea. The nation is moving towards becoming self-reliant in critical minerals as well. Under National Critical Mineral Mission, exploration campaigns are underway in more than 1,200 locations.
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