2 weeks ago
PM Narendra Modi urges energy self-reliance amid resource weaponisation warnings
India has a big celebration called Independence Day, and on the last one, its leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave a speech from a famous fort called the Red Fort.
He told the people that India needs to make more of its own energy, like oil and gas.
He said that some countries use things like fuel and sea routes to put pressure on other countries, which he called 'weaponisation.'
There is a war happening between the United States, Israel, and Iran, and it has blocked a narrow sea passage called the Strait of Hormuz.
That passage is very important because ships carrying oil and gas sail through it every day.
Because of the fighting, fewer ships are passing through, and energy has become more expensive.
India buys a lot of its oil from other countries, so this is a big problem for it.
Modi said India is now buying oil from more countries to be safer.
He also talked about getting energy from the ocean floor, the sun, and pipes that bring cooking gas to homes.
He wants India to become stronger and not depend so much on other countries for energy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that the 'weaponisation' of global resources and strategic sea routes threatens India's economic security.
Modi called for greater energy self-reliance, noting India imports nearly 90 per cent of its crude oil and about half of its natural gas needs.
The US-Israeli war with Iran has severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which handled about 20 million barrels per day of oil in 2025.
India has diversified its energy sourcing, importing crude from 41 countries and LNG from 15, up from 27 and six respectively.
The government is accelerating offshore oil and gas exploration through the Rs 84,084-crore Samudra Manthan scheme and reports solar generation rising to 160 GW.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation on India's 80th Independence Day.
- What
- Warned that the 'weaponisation' of resources and strategic sea routes threatens India's economic security and called for greater energy self-reliance.
- Where
- Red Fort, Delhi, India.
- When
- Saturday, on India's 80th Independence Day (August 15).
- Why
- The US-Israeli war with Iran disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, exposing India's dependence on imported energy and prompting a push to build domestic capacity.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi
- Occasion
- 80th Independence Day address from the Red Fort
- Crude oil import dependence
- Nearly 90 per cent
- Natural gas import dependence
- About half of requirements
- Strait of Hormuz oil flow (2025)
- About 20 million barrels per day, roughly a quarter of global seaborne oil trade
- Samudra Manthan scheme outlay
- Rs 84,084 crore
- Solar generation
- 160 GW, up from 2 GW a decade back
- Crude oil import value (2024-25)
- About $137 billion







