Wearing his trademark safa, this time in bright yellow with hints of green and red with a long trail, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his sixth consecutive Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Thursday.

This speech was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's second-longest speech -- lasting 92 minutes, just two short of his longest speech in 2016.

Interestingly, in the 2019 edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech, Pakistan found no mention -- a stark contrast to Prime Minister Imran Khan's Independence speech on Wednesday who spoke at length about India while criticising the country's move to abrogate provisions of Article 370.

While the Pakistani PM spent the bulk of his time on India, PM Modi, on the other hand, delivered a more futurist address in which he made the major announcement of the creation of a chief of defence staff (CDS) as head of army, navy and air force.

"Our forces are India's pride. To further sharpen coordination between the forces, I want to announce a major decision from the Red Fort: India will have a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)," PM Modi said in his I-Day speech.

Post of CDS was first recommended after the 1999 Kargil War.

In his Independence-Day address, PM Modi also expressed his regret at not having born during the freedom struggle. The PM, however, vowed to do whatever it takes to serve the nation after being given second chance.

PM MODI SPOKE ABOUT WATER 24 TIMES

Citing water crisis as a major challenge for the country, PM Modi spoke about multiple ways in which one should conserve water as he reiterated his government's commitment to address the problem of water scarcity.

The Prime Minister also said the allocation of Rs 3.35 lakh crore for the Jal Jeevan Mission which he said will aim to provide drinking water to every household.

Both the Centre and State will work in tandem to achieve this mission, PM Modi added.

PM SPOKE ABOUT INDIA'S POOR CITIZENS 17 TIMES

Touching upon the topic of poverty in the country, PM Modi said, "The country has to cross new heights, make its place in the world and we need to emphasise on the need to remove poverty from our home." PM Modi promised that his government will do everything possible to eradicate poverty as soon as possible.

Saying that expectations of people have changed over the years, PM Modi said, "No longer are people satisfied with just pukka roads, few hours of electricity and railway stations. Now every citizen wants four lanes, 24 hours of electricity and airport in their area."

PM SPOKE ABOUT TERRORISM 16 TIMES

Like most of PM's speeches, this one too mentioned terrorism and India's plans to tackle it many times.

In his speech from the Red Fort, PM Modi said terrorism has acted like termite, hollowing out the country from within. He also reiterated the government's plan to tackle terrorism with grit. PM Modi said that even though it has been just 10 weeks since his government came back to power, they have taken decisive decisions to tackle the issue and will continue to do so in future.

PM SPOKE ABOUT TOURISM 13 TIMES

In his push for the domestic tourism sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to travel within the country extensively before embarking on foreign travels. He said until Indians don't take pride in their culture and showcase it, the country will never become a tourism hub.

NO MENTION OF PAKISTAN

Pakistan failed to find a mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech - a signal of India's approach towards the neighbouring country. Experts are reading this as India's fresh approach when it comes to dealing with Pakistan in the future.

After the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, India continues to stand firm on its stance of keeping other countries out of its internal matter.

Speaking on Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, PM Modi said, "The happiness of the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh can become a big factor in India's prosperity and peace." He added that the previous governments failed to act because they lacked courage.

He also said, 'one nation, one Constitution' was now a reality in India. Keeping his eyes on the future, PM's speech was forward-looking which included plans to make India a $5 trillion economy, plastic-free and a global tourism hub.

ON RISING POPULATION

Before wrapping up, the PM also touched upon India's rising population and said those following the small family policy should be given due respect. "Small family policy also a form of patriotism, " PM Modi said.

He said there was mass awareness about population explosion but the country still has a long way to go. "Population explosion can lead to problems in future and one must ponder over how we will provide for future generations," the PM said.

Proving that he still is neta of the aam aadmi, Prime Minister walked over to meet schoolchildren after ending his speech with Vande Matram, Jai Hind chants. As he walked over to meet children, he was surrounded by the children who were trying to catch a glimpse of the PM.

Smiling, the PM obliged.