Modi's 25-year formula: 5 pledges for a developed India

In his 76th Independence Day address at the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set out a 25-year goal for India and declared paanch pran, or five pledges, for the country’s development.

The Prime Minister urged the citizens to take a pledge for a developed India, removal of any trace of colonial mindset, taking pride in our roots, unity and a sense of duty among the citizens.

Modi emphasised that we must make India a developed country by the next 25 years. “By the 100th year of Independence, we have to work with the vision of accomplishing what our freedom fighters dreamt of,” he said.

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He urged the youth to dedicate the next 25 years of their lives towards the nation’s development. India will have to move ahead with big goals to fulfil the vision of a developed India in the centenary year of its Independence, he said.

“For the next 25 years we need to focus on the five resolves for a  developed India, removing every trace of bondage from our mind, taking pride in our glorious heritage and unity and fulfilling our duties,” the PM said.

The first pran (goal) is to move forward with bigger resolves and resolve of a developed India. Second is the slave mentality. “For how long will we live by the certificates given by other countries? At any cost, we do not need to pretend to be like others. We need freedom from the slavery inside us and from servility,” the PM said in his address.

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The Prime Minister said that Indians needed to be proud of every language, whether they spoke or understood it or not. “We have seen that sometimes our talents get tied in the shackles of language,” said the PM.

The third pran is to have pride in our cultural heritage. According to the PM, when one feels attached to their soil, they can fly high and offer solutions to the world as well.  “The country today is influenced by our culture. We are connected with nature and today the world is facing the problem of the environment. We have a way to solve the problems of global warming. For this we have the heritage which our ancestors have given us,” the PM said.

The fourth pran is unity. India, the world’s largest democracy, is known for its diversity. “We need to celebrate the diversity of such a big nation. No one is above anyone. All of us are one and this feeling is important. In homes, this starts with the equality of a son and daughter,” the PM said. He stated that all Indian citizens need to have an ‘India First’ mentality to help tie everyone together.

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The last pran is fulfilling our duties as a citizen. Regarding this, the PM said: “We have to lay emphasis on the duties of a citizen for a nation. When dreams are large, when resolves are large, the effort also has to be bigger.”