Prime Minister Narendra Modi insisted Saturday that he would eradicate corruption in India but warned the problem started at the top and was eating away at the country "like a termite".

"I want to reaffirm that this nation will get rid of corruption. We can rid the country of corruption, we have to start from the top," he said in an independence day speech.

"Corruption is like a termite, it spreads slowly, reaches everywhere but it can be beaten with timely injections."