Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with students during the 79th Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort, in New Delhi, on August 15, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
India will develop an indigenous air defence system by 2035 not just to neutralise enemy attacks, but also to hit back strongly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his Independence Day address on Friday (August 15, 2025). The mission, announced on the eve of Krishna Jayanti, will be called ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ in honour of Lord Krishna’s mythological shield.
“I am saying today from the ramparts of the Red Fort that in the coming 10 years, by 2035, all the important places of the nation, which include strategic as well as civilian areas, like hospitals, railways, any centre of faith, will be given complete security cover through new platforms of technology. This security shield should keep expanding, every citizen of the country should feel safe,” Mr. Modi said.
“Whatever technology comes to attack us, our technology should prove to be better than that and hence, in the coming 10 years, till 2035, I want to expand this national security shield, strengthen it, modernise it and hence, taking inspiration from Lord Shri Krishna, we have chosen the path of the Sudarshan Chakra of Shri Krishna,” the Prime Minister said, recalling the Mahabharata’s account of Krishna blocking the sunlight with his Sudarshan Chakra to make it dark during the day.
India currently has three S-400 missile systems developed by Russia, which played a crucial role in taking down Pakistani drones and missiles fired towards more than 15 Indian cities in retaliation for Operation Sindoor in May. During the operation, India’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) played a pivotal role in maintaining air superiority over Pakistan.
Published – August 15, 2025 01:09 pm is