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Independence Day was celebrated across states and Union territories on Thursday, as several chief ministers announced job schemes while some others vowed their support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
In Guwahati, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma used the occasion to express concerns about the future of the state as he said the "population balance between Hindus and Muslims is declining fast".
Sarma also said that the indigenous people have gone in a defensive mode due to demographic change in Assam as "we are a minority in 12-13 districts".
"...I request all Hindus, Muslims and others to follow the family planning norms," he added.
Several chief ministers touched upon the issue of employment in their Independence Day speeches. While Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde talked about creating 2.5 lakh jobs, his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar said the NDA government has now fixed a new target of providing 12 lakh jobs by next year.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also said his government will soon fill 36,000 vacancies.
In Srinagar, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said Pakistan was pushing foreign terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir as it was frustrated by dwindling local recruitment and increasing faith of people in democracy, reflected in record turnouts during the Lok Sabha polls in the Union territory.
In his Independence Day speech at the Bakshi Stadium, Sinha said that there has been a "remarkable decline in terrorism" in the past few years.
The LG said there have been some terror attacks in the Jammu region over the past few months in which several security personnel and civilians lost their lives.
"I bow to their sacrifice. We have full faith in the courage and patriotism of security forces and they have been given full freedom (to deal with terrorism)," he added.
In Lucknow, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh has established itself as a state with "unlimited potential" and its government was making efforts for an all-round development of every social group.
He also listed various development works completed in the state or are in the pipeline.
"The Uttar Pradesh government is making every effort for all-round development of every social group, especially women, farmers, youths and the poor, to fulfil the prime minister's promise of a developed India by 2047," Adityanath said.
Delhi Home Minister Kailash Gahlot hoisted the national flag at Chhatrasal stadium on Independence Day, in place of jailed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was dubbed by him as a "modern day freedom fighter".
"Standing under this flag, I can say proudly that Arvind Kejriwal is a modern day freedom fighter because he accepted the punishment to work for the people of Delhi by going to the jail, but did not bow down or break in front of the anti-democratic forces," Gahlot said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann gave a clarion call to people for launching a crusade to check environmental pollution and preserve natural resources.
"We have to launch a mass movement for safeguarding our environment so that it can be saved for our coming generations," said Mann.
Haryana Chief Minister Saini said his government will soon fill 36,000 vacancies while stating the BJP dispensation has already provided 1.44 lakh jobs to youth on merit. Saini further said the state government is committed to the economic and educational development of women and providing them with a safe environment.
In Dehradun, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he has vowed not to rest until he makes Uttarakhand the country's best and an entirely self-reliant state.
Dhami said the state government is working on a number of long, medium and short term result-oriented schemes to take development to the last man.
In Patna, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the NDA government in the state has now fixed a new target of providing 12 lakh government jobs to youths by next year.
"Earlier, we had promised to provide 10 lakh government jobs to our youths...but now our government has fixed a new target of providing 12 lakh government jobs to them before the 2025 assembly polls," he said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that recruitments for 35,000 posts will be completed by October this year.
"Our government's first priority is to link youths of the state with employment," he said.
In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said his government has resolved to increase the state's contribution in the country's economy to 5% from the present four per cent in the next five years.
Yadav said efforts have been launched to turn Madhya Pradesh into a sports hub and to bolster tourism through it.
The Chhattisgarh government is working on a war footing to set up new security camps in the Maoist-hit areas of the state with an aim to end the menace and ensure basic facilities to people living there, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said.
Sai also said his government was preparing a new industrial policy for the state to accelerate growth by providing employment to the youth on a large scale.
He said Chhattisgarh has been delivering a key role in fulfilling the resolve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India developed by 2047.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the state has embarked on a journey for change and development while upholding its 'ashmita' (pride).
Majhi also announced several development programmes.
"Odisha has vowed to reach the pinnacle of development with 'asmita' (pride) and swabhiman (self-respect)."
The chief minister said that his government has set a goal to reach a 500 billion dollar economy by 2036 and a 1.5 trillion dollar economy by 2047.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said MoUs of Rs 5 lakh crore were signed in the last two years under his government, which will create 2.5 lakh jobs.
Shinde said Maharashtra's contribution will be big in achieving the dream of a 'Viksit Bharat'. Policies of the state have to be aligned accordingly, he said.
In Gujarat's Nadiad, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said India's first indigenously developed semiconductor chip will be manufactured in the state, which has so far attracted an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore in electronics and chip manufacturing sectors.
He was addressing a gathering in Nadiad town of Kheda district after hoisting the national flag.
"We have so far attracted an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore in the electronics and semiconductor sector," he said.
"The PM has given us the target of making India a developed country by 2047, when India will be celebrating 100 years of Independence. Gujarat is committed to be a leading state in achieving the target of Viksit Bharat by 2047. We have prepared a road map for 'Viksit Gujarat'," he said.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced launching pharmacy outlets 'Mudalvar Marunthagam' (Chief Minister's Pharmacy) soon to ensure the availability of generic and other medicines at low cost to the people.
Stalin also announced a comprehensive scientific study on natural calamities triggered by heavy rains in the mountainous regions of the state, including the Nilgiris.
In a veiled attack on the previous BRS regime, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said his government would not make the mistake of borrowing funds with higher interest rates and impose a heavy burden on people, even as he highlighted his vision to develop Telangana as the 'future state'.
The CM said the government is already making efforts to restructure the state debts and he met with the World Bank chief during his recent visit to the US in this regard.
In Vijayawada, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said his government is working towards restoring the lost brand image of Andhra Pradesh.
He alleged that Andhra Pradesh regressed 30 years under the previous YSRCP regime.
Claiming that the southern state incurred a huge loss under the YSRCP government than the bifurcation of the united state, he said the TDP-led government is following the principle of simple and effective governance to undo those losses.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is under pressure from within the ruling Congress to do a "rethink" on the ambitious five guarantees, asserted that it will continue and highlighted the "Karnataka model" of development with focus on social justice and economic equality.
Accusing the Centre of 'deviating' from the principle of the federal system in recent years, leading to discrimination in the allocation of funds to states, he urged it to understand the fact that the nation can develop only if states are developed.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hoisted the tricolour at Red Road in Kolkata.
"Our freedom fighters sacrificed everything to earn this freedom. On this historic day, I pay my deepest respect to them for their selfless love for the motherland," she said in a post on X.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh reaffirmed his government's commitment to restoring peace, highlighting that the state is home to 34 recognised tribes.
Singh attributed the ongoing unrest to external elements seeking to destabilise the state.
The CM urged all communities to set aside political and personal agendas to bring peace to the region.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio expressed hope that the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre will help resolve the long-standing Naga political issue.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha asserted the state's overall law and order situation has improved significantly during the past one year.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma said that the state government will launch a scheme to enable deserving people to avail interest-free loan up to Rs 50 lakh to achieve economic growth and improve the living condition of the masses.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced a 'Viksit Meghalaya', to make the state's economy 100-billion-dollar by 2047. "It is an ambitious plan for transforming India into a developed country by the 100th anniversary of our Independence in 2047," he said.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced that the coastal state would serve as the permanent venue for the annual India Energy Week.
Sawant also said his government was dedicated to creating a bright future for the state in the fields of green economy and blue economy.