Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address highlights India’s strategic push towards enhancing defence manufacturing, expanding agricultural markets for millets, and diversifying energy sources to strengthen economic resilience in uncertain times.
Experts said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day call for stronger agricultural exports, wider energy options and deeper domestic defence production could help India build greater economic and strategic resilience at a time of global uncertainty.
According to defence analyst Brigadier Hemant Mahajan, speaking to IANS, India’s push to manufacture more equipment at home has already delivered clear gains, with indigenous defence output and exports rising sharply since 2014. Industry data from the India Brand Equity Foundation shows defence exports climbed from Rs 686 crore in FY14 to Rs 23,622 crore in FY25, while the government is targeting defence manufacturing worth Rs 3,00,000 crore by FY29.
Recent official and media reports suggest the momentum has continued. The Ministry of Defence said output reached a record Rs 1.54 lakh crore in 2024-25, after Rs 1.27 lakh crore in 2023-24, up sharply from Rs 46,429 crore in 2014-15. Later reports cited by economic publications said production rose further to Rs 1.78 lakh crore in FY26, with exports also hitting a record and sales reaching more than 80 countries.
Aditya Sesh, a chartered accountant and member of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, told IANS that India’s expanding free trade agreement network could open more overseas markets for farm goods, especially millets. He said the grains use less water, store well and have strong nutritional value, adding that prices have risen 15% to 25% this year as demand grows. Sesh also pointed to Maharashtra’s agricultural potential and said GI tags and the One District One Product scheme could help farmers earn better returns, while India’s energy security would be stronger if the country broadened its mix beyond ethanol-blended fuel to include solar, wind, hydrogen and nuclear power.
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