PM Modi warned of a looming obesity crisis, urged families to reduce cooking oil use, and delivered his longest 103-minute Independence Day speech from the Red Fort.
The 79th Independence Day celebration began as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the national flag on the Red Fort in New Delhi. He addressed the nation in the longest speech by any prime minister.
PM Modi expressed concerns about the rising obesity in India. He said, “I want to share a concern with you. When I talk about fitness…in the coming years, obesity will become a crisis for our country.”
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He asserted on the less usage of cooking oil in Indian households. He urged the nation to use at least 10% less cooking oil than usual. “Obesity is increasingly becoming a serious problem for our nation. According to experts, in the days ahead, every third person will be obese. That is why I want to give a small suggestion, families should decide that whenever cooking oil is bought for the home, it will be 10 per cent less than usual, and we will use 10 per cent less as well,” the PM stated.
PM Modi gave a 103-minute speech, making it the longest ever in the history of Independence Day speeches. According to ANI, he broke his own record of his previous year's Independence Day speech. In 2024, PM Modi's Independence Day speech lasted 98 minutes. In 2016, his speech was 96 minutes long, while in 2017, he gave his shortest speech, which was 56 minutes long.
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On 79th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also became the first prime minister to give 12 consecutive Red Fort speeches, second in line to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, who addressed the nation 17 times.
