New Delhi: In a clear and stern warning to Pakistan from the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said terrorists and those providing them safe haven will be treated alike and that Indian armed forces will deliver a “crushing” response to the enemy in case of any future misadventure.
Delivering his address on the country’s 79th Independence Day, Modi, referring to Operation Sindoor, said the Indian military punished the enemies beyond their imagination and that India will no longer tolerate Islamabad’s “nuclear blackmail” and will respond appropriately. The remarks came days after Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s threat of using nuclear weapons.
The prime minister also justified New Delhi’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the Pahalgam terror attack as he described the over six-decade-old pact as “unjust and one-sided”, asserting that “blood and water” will not flow together.
Explaining the impact of Operation Sindoor, Modi said Pakistan is still “sleepless” and that the devastation in that country has been so huge that every day brings new revelations and fresh information.
India responded to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 with several punitive diplomatic and economic measures, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor to target terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, triggering four days of hostilities that ended with an understanding between the two sides on May 10.
“Our nation has endured terrorism for many decades. The heart of the country has been pierced time and again. Now, we have established a new normal: those who nurture and harbour terrorism, and those who empower terrorists, will no longer be seen as separate,” he said during his 103-minute address.
“They are all equal enemies of humanity, with no distinction between them.”
Highlighting India’s “new normal” in dealing with cross-border terrorism, Modi said the armed forces accomplished something that had not happened in decades as they reduced terrorist headquarters to dust and turned terror infrastructure into ruins in response to the Pahalgam attack.
“I feel great pride that today I have the opportunity to salute the brave warriors of Operation Sindoor from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Our courageous soldiers punished the enemies beyond anything they could have imagined.”
“On April 22, terrorists crossed the border and committed a massacre in Pahalgam, killing people after asking their religion, shooting husbands in front of their wives, and executing fathers in front of their children. The entire nation was filled with outrage, and the whole world was shocked by such a massacre.” Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed in the attack.
Modi said Operation Sindoor was the expression of that outrage, adding the government gave the military complete freedom to decide on the strategy, targets, and timing of India’s response to the Pahalgam attack.
“And our military accomplished something that had not happened in decades. Penetrating hundreds of kilometres into enemy territory, they reduced terrorist headquarters to dust and turned terrorist headquarters into ruins.”
The prime minister said India has now decided that it will no longer tolerate nuclear threats.
“The nuclear blackmail that has gone on for so long will no longer be endured. If our enemies continue this attempt in the future, our army will decide on its own terms, at the time of its choosing, in the manner it deems fit, and target the objectives it selects and we will act accordingly. We will give a fitting and crushing response,” he added.
The prime minister noted that waters of rivers originating from India are “irrigating the fields of our enemies, while the farmers and the soil of our own nation remain thirsty.”
“This (IWT) was an agreement that has caused unimaginable loss to our farmers for the past seven decades. Now, the water that rightfully belongs to Bharat will be reserved solely for Bharat, solely for the farmers of Bharat,” he said.
“The people of the country now fully understand how unjust and one-sided the Indus Waters Treaty has been.”
“The form of the Indus agreement that Bharat has endured for decades will not be tolerated any longer. This agreement is unacceptable to us in the interest of our farmers, and in the interest of the nation,” Modi said.
In a significant announcement relating to security, the prime minister said India will launch a mission named ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ to “expand, strengthen, and modernise” this national security shield.
Making a strong pitch for self-reliance, Modi also underlined the need for developing a jet engine within the country for India’s fighter aircraft programme, saying it is necessary to march ahead in the defence manufacturing sector.
The prime minister also described strategic autonomy and indigenous capabilities as key to decisively tackling threats, making self-reliance the bedrock of national strength, dignity, and the journey to a developed India by 2047.
“Indigenous capabilities, including Made-in-India weapons, enable India to act decisively and independently, proving that national security cannot rely on foreign dependence,” he said.
Earlier, two Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force flew over the Red Fort and showered flower petals. One chopper carried the tricolour while the other displayed a banner of Operation Sindoor.
Modi rolls out PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to create 3.5 cr jobs in two years
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced the launch of PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana which is expected to create 3.5 crore jobs in next two years.
On July 1, 2025, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Modi had approved the scheme aimed at incentivising job creation in the country.
“Today is August 15 and we are launching Rs 1 lakh crore scheme for the youth of this country. It is good news for you that PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana is being rolled out from Today,” Modi said in his Independence Day speech.
He said that under this scheme the youth getting first job in the private sector will get Rs 15,000 and the companies (employing them) will get incentive amounts.
PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana will provide employment opportunities to 3.5 crore youths.
With an outlay of Rs 99,446 crore, the PM Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY) aims to incentivise the creation of more than 3.5 crore jobs over two years. Of these, 1.92 crore beneficiaries will be first timers, entering the workforce.
The benefits of the scheme would be applicable to jobs created between August 1, 2025, and July 31, 2027.
The name of the scheme is in alignment with the scheme’s overall objectives towards the Viksit Bharat initiative and reflects the government’s commitment to generating inclusive and sustainable employment opportunities in the country.
The scheme, which incentivises employers to create new employment, will provide benefits for the generation of new jobs across various sectors with special focus on the manufacturing sector.
The scheme consists of two parts, with Part A focused on first timers and Part B focused on employers.
Targeting first-time employees registered with retirement fund body EPFO, Part-A will ensure one-month EPF wages up to Rs 15,000 in two installments. Employees with salaries up to Rs 1 lakh per month will be eligible.
The 1st installment will be payable after 6 months of service and the 2nd installment after 12 months of service and completion of a financial literacy programme by the employee.
To encourage the habit of saving, a portion of the incentive will be kept in a savings instrument or deposit account for a fixed period and can be withdrawn by the employee at a later date.
The employers will get incentives in respect of employees with salaries up to Rs 1 lakh a month.
The government will incentivise employers, up to Rs 3000 per month, for two years, for each additional employee with sustained employment for at least six months. For the employers of the manufacturing sector, incentives will be extended to the 3rd and 4th years as well.
Establishments, which are registered with EPFO, will be required to hire at least two additional employees (in case of employers with less than 50 employees) or five additional employees (in case of employers with 50 or more employees), on a sustained basis for at least six months.
All payments to the First Time Employees under Part A of the Scheme will be made through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) mode using the Aadhar Bridge Payment System (ABPS).
Payments to the employers under Part B will be made directly into their PAN-linked bank accounts.
