President Murmu addresses the nation on August 15 eve: Vande Mataram start, calls for development | Key points

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday began her annual Independence Day eve speech with the full, six-stanza version of Vande Mataram, in a major first for the traditional ceremony.

She then sang the national anthem before proceeding with her address. This comes just days after she gave her assent to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which accorded Vande Mataram the same statutory legal protection as Jana Gana Mana.

This is significant not only because the full version of the Vande Mataram is now to be included in official ceremonies, but also because India is celebrating 150 years of the national song, as a part of which the government is holding a variety of programmes.

Beginning her address with a major mention of Viksit Bharat 2047, she declared that the benefits of development should reach every person, as India modernises itself.

In that regard, she explained that over 25 crore people had been lifted out of poverty over the past decade, by means of "inclusive development initiatives", while more than 80 crore people were ensured food security under the free rations programme.

In light of the recent Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests held in Delhi and various other parts of India, the President made students a part of her speech too, calling them "architects of India's future".

"Public examinations become gateways to opportunities for our students. The government is undertaking comprehensive steps to reform these examinations. The objectives of these reforms are to completely curb the use of unfair means in public examinations, make the examination system more transparent, more secure, and more trustworthy for the youth," she said.

Speaking about Operation Sindoor, she noted that India's military prowess was clear for the world to see when it launched precision strikes against terror networks last year.

"Terrorists and those supporting them will have to face consequences no matter where they hide," she said.

As for internal security, she lauded the Centre for its efforts to eradicate Naxalism in the country, which once posed a "serious challenge" to the nation.

On the topic of foreign policy, she reiterated that peace, dialogue, cooperation, and the ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) remains the bedrock of India's international relations.

"We believe in a rules-based international order. Our endeavour is to ensure that the global community receives appropriate representation in the United Nations and other multilateral organisations," she stated, noting India's growing stature among the Global South nations.

Women empowerment was also a key theme in Murmu's speech spanning tech, sustainable development, heritage, and senior care.

Celebrating achievements ranging from rural self-help groups to high-altitude defence, she said that the initial target of creating three crore 'Lakhpati Didis' has been achieved, with the government now pushing for the creation of three crore more.

"Our girls are performing exceptionally well in education and (other) diverse sectors, from the Drone Didi enhancing agricultural productivity to the ... Air Force. In the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, women won 8 out of India's total tally of 13 gold medals," she explained.

This also took a political dimension, when she spoke of the women's reservation bill, which is linked to the delimitation bill, highlighting it as a major move to make democracy inclusive in India.

The address is always broadcast on Akashvani’s national network and telecast live on Doordarshan channels. The speech is delivered first in Hindi, followed by English, with regional-language versions aired later on Doordarshan and Akashvani.

This precedes PM Narendra Modi's speech from the Red Fort to mark the country's 80th Independence Day.