Modi pledges to make India a developed nation by 2050

India will aim to become a developed nation in the next 25 years, prime minister Narendra Modi said in his address to the nation on the country's 75th anniversary of independence from British rule.

- NAMITA SINGH

Speaking from the 17th-century Mughal-era Red Fort in Delhi, the prime minister called on the country's youth to "aim big" and give their best years to the national cause. “We must turn India into a developed country in the next 25 years, in our lifetime," he said wearing a flowing turban printed in the colours of the Indian flag.

"It's a big resolution, and we should work towards it with all our might," he said in his 75-minute long speech. Elsewhere in his address, the prime minister spoke of the ideals of self-reliance and the spirit of international partnership as the country strived to attain excellence in science and technology and attain food and energy security.

Ranked as the world's sixth-largest economy with a GDP of $2.7 trillion (£2.2 trillion), India is currently categorised by the World Bank as a lower-middle income economy. Nations in this category have gross national income per capita between $1,086 (£899) and $4,255 (£3,522) while high-income countries have a per capita income of over $13,205 (£10,929).