‘Raksha Shakti’ key to achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat, says Prime Minister in his 2026 Independence Day address

In his 2026 Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi identified ‘Raksha Shakti’ as one of seven power streams essential for building a Viksit Bharat by 2047. He urged self‑reliance in defence, calling for India to become a global supplier of next‑generation defence technologies such as drones, counter‑drone systems and hypersonic defence. The Prime Minister highlighted the rapid progress of ‘Mission Sudarshan Chakra’, noted a near‑fourfold rise in defence production and a fifty‑fold increase in exports to about 100 countries, and announced the creation of a large voluntary civil‑defence force. He also stressed the contribution of women graduates from the NDA to the armed forces.