PM Modi unveils ‘Sapta Dhara’ in his I-Day speech

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of 80th Independence Day on August 15.

• Invoking the ancient civilisational strength of the ‘Sapta Sindhu’, the PM  announced a new strategic framework by unveiling seven streams of strength, ‘Sapta Dhara’, to take India to new heights and give the country new momentum in the coming years. 

The seven streams are:

1) Manufacturing Power: We must significantly advance the manufacturing sector. India must develop the complete value chain, from components and design to manufacturing of complete products, and become a trusted centre of the global supply chain. For this we will have to meet global standards in terms of cost, quality and scale. Our factories must be competitive, our products user-friendly, and our packaging attractive and appealing to people worldwide. Our identity in the global market should be based on credibility and quality. 

2) Agriculture and Food Production: Our farmers now have access to global markets. We have to move from the farm to the export market and turn  India’s traditional foods, millets, spices, fruits and flowers into global brands. Farmers should give greater impetus to chemical-free farming, as the demand for such products is only going to increase across the world. If our agricultural products meet global parameters in every respect, we will be able to reach markets across the world with ease. 

3) Technology and Innovation: Today is the age of AI, quantum technology, space, robotics and data centres. Emerging technologies are challenging us every moment. Therefore, we must not merely turn our country into a market for the world. We must become a hub of innovation. India must take its digital public technologies to every corner of the world. India must lead in next-generation communication technologies. Our goal should be to ensure that ‘Made in India’ 6G reaches every corner of the world. 

4) Gati Shakti: We must focus on seamless and fast connectivity across the country. We must connect our cities through high-speed rail. We need modern highways, inland waterways, airports and multimodal logistics systems. We must not look at our ports merely as places where goods are loaded and unloaded, or simply as places where ships come and anchor. We must take our ports forward in the direction of port-led development and growth. 

5) Defence Shakti: When countries around the world are increasingly thinking about their own interests, India cannot simply remain a market for the world. We must become self-reliant in the defence sector. We must set ourselves the goal of developing next-generation defence technologies and moving towards becoming a global supplier. We must develop drones and counter-drone systems, and we must take leadership in hypersonic defence technologies. He also highlighted cyber security as an area where the capabilities of Indian youth could be utilised for India and the world.

6) Green Economy and Blue Economy: The PM called for achieving global scale in green hydrogen, renewable energy, energy storage, green mobility and green manufacturing. India has enormous opportunities in the ‘blue economy’. We have a very long coastline. There are tremendous opportunities in the blue economy like fisheries, coastal tourism, ocean technology and many other such sectors.

7) India’s Soft Power: The strength of India’s soft power is immense. PM Modi called for taking India’s strengths in yoga, ayurveda, holistic healthcare and ‘Heal in India’ to the world. Whether it is handicrafts, culture, our films, our creative world, VFX, animation, gaming or digital content, India can demonstrate its stature in the global creative economy. We must develop this into a global strength. 

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)