Independence Day 2026 highlights: PM Modi, Union ministers attend President Murmu's At Home reception

• On Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched upon many subjects, including energy security, critical minerals and semiconductors. The Prime Minister reiterated the govt's resolve to make India ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.

• PM Modi said that India commands respect across the world and has a stable government. “This is why we have had a FTA (Free Trade Agreements) with many countries since 2014,” PM Modi said.

• PM Modi said India should become an innovation hub. Emphasising how Artificial Intelligence, robotics, space, quantum and data centres are gaining prominence, PM Modi said: “Emerging technologies are challenging us every moment. We can't be a market for the world but should be an innovation hub.”

• PM Modi announced free online coaching for various exams to help students and their families save thousands. “The youth have a very important role in the journey towards a developed India. Not only that, they will also be the biggest beneficiaries of a developed India. Therefore, we have to link the goal of a developed India with our youth and move forward," he said.

• For the second year in a row, Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge skipped Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort in Delhi. They missed the event last year too, after a row over their seating during the 2024 event.

• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio extended 80th Independence Day greetings to India. In a detailed message, he hailed ties between US President Donald Trump and PM Modi.

• The National Flag was hoisted for the first time in Boter village of Abujhmad forest region in Chhattisgarh on Independence Day. The area was once naxal-affected.

• Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam extended greetings to India on Independence Day, saying both nations share a robust and forward-looking Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that is underpinned by close people-to-people ties.

• Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Saturday warned the Centre over students' protests against irregularities in education and recruitment examinations, saying the agitation could intensify.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin extended greetings to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of India's 80th Independence Day. According to a post on the official Telegram channel of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian President hailed the country's "remarkable progress" and its authority in the international arena.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: The National Flag was hoisted for the first time in Boter village of Abujhmad forest region in Chhattisgarh on Independence Day, PTI news agency reported

The area was once naxal-affected.

TMC MLA Saugata Roy on Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “right” on naxals receiving a “setback”, in his speech from the Red Fort on Saturday.

“This is true that the Maoists have received a setback. Their main base Chhattisgarh they have been wiped out. Modi is right about that. In the country, no political party prefers naxals. Even Manmohan Singh said Maoism is the biggest security threat in the country,” Roy told PTI news agency.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Army personnel and family members of martyr Naib Subedar Chuni Lal paid tribute to him in Doda on the 80th Independence Day.

Chuni Lal was martyred in 2007, and was awarded three bravery awards – Ashok Chakra, Vir Chakra and Sena Medal (Gallantry) – for his services.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: The Bandra-Worli Sea Link was illuminated in the colours of the National Flag on Saturday.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Odisha Governor Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati extended his greetings on the 80th Independence Day, saying it holds “special significance for every citizen of our country.”

“On this sacred occasion, we respectfully remember the extraordinary patriotism, selfless dedication, immense courage and sacrifices of our freedom fighters. Their collective efforts united the nation and brought us the dawn of freedom,” he said.

He added, “As a democratic and sovereign nation, we realise the dream of self-governance which was further strengthened with the adoption of our Constitution. Since then our Constitution has served as a guiding framework for safeguarding the rights, dignity and responsibility of every citizen.”

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: A procession in which participants carried a 1,111-foot national flag was taken out in Navi Mumbai's Kharghar area on Saturday, PTI news agency reported.

The event titled Tiranga Yatra was organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The flag march commenced at Ramsheth Thakur Public School and concluded at Utsav Chowk, covering a distance of around 3.5 kms.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: President Droupadi Murmu greeted leaders and other attendees at her At Home Reception on the occasion of Independence Day.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Former president Ram Nath Kovind, his wife Savita Kovind, former vice president M. Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and CJI Surya Kant attended the At Home Reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan being hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on Independence Day.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted leaders at President Droupadi Murmu's At Home Reception.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the At Home Reception hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: On Independence Day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived at the At Home Reception hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam extended greetings to India on Independence Day, saying both nations share a robust and forward-looking Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that is underpinned by close people-to-people ties.

In a letter to his Indian counterpart, Draupadi Murmu, penned on August 15, President Shanmugaratnam President Shanmugaratnam also noted that the two countries' cooperation is multifaceted, expanding into new areas of skills development, digitalisation, sustainability and advanced manufacturing.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Saturday warned the Centre over students' protests against irregularities in education and recruitment examinations, saying the agitation could intensify.

“I don't support anarchy and lawlessness under the garb of protests. But there is no denying there are a lot of ghapla (scams) in the country. Kindly fix this, or else Baba Ramdev will have to protest again,” PTI cited him as saying.

“There is chaos everywhere in the country. Children are complaining that there are no teachers in their schools. Basic facilities like electricity, water and toilets are missing. Cheating is rampant in some places, while question papers are being leaked in others. In government job interviews, corruption runs as high as 99%. Selections are being done along the lines of caste and religion. This is highly offensive and against the Constitution.” he further added.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: UP CM Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that freedom does not merely mean political freedom but complete liberation from anarchy, backwardness, poverty, illiteracy and inequality.

In his address on Independence Day after hoisting the Tricolour at his residence, Adityanath saidthe sense of freedom that every Indian experiences today is the result of the sacrifices, penance and martyrdom of “Mother India's great sons”, PTI news agency reported.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Leader of opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Tikaram Jully held an interaction with the youth in Jaipur and discussed issues related to education, unemployment, artificial intelligence, political participation, infrastructure and corruption, PTI news agency reported.

Nearly 50 students from different streams participated in the programme. "Students should not suffer because of failures in the system," he said.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, in his Independence Day speech, said that no government doctor would retire till March 31, 2027.

He further announced the release of salary arrears of class IV employees amounting to ₹20,000 by the month-end, PTI news agency reported. Sukhu announced a hike of ₹1,000 in ASHA incentives and revised remuneration of ₹25,000 to staff nurses, pharmacists, operation theatre assistants and laboratory technicians under the National Health Mission (NHM).

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Vishva Hindu Parishad accused the Congress of "publicly insulting" India by objecting to the singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at an Independence Day event at its headquarters on Saturday, demanding an apology for the same, PTI news agency reported.

The Congress denied the charges and asserted that there was no attempt to stop the singing of the full version of the national song and Sonia Gandhi was only asking for a chair for party president Mallikarjun Kharge as he was standing for a while.

“On one hand, for the first time after 80 years, the complete Vande Mataram reverberated from Parliament and the ramparts of the Red Fort, while on the other hand, the same Congress which knelt before the Muslim League in 1937 and cut Vande Mataram into pieces has once again displayed the same appeasement and divisive mindset and insulted Vande Mataram,” VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said in a post on X.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday extended greetings to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of India's 80th Independence Day.

According to a post on the official Telegram channel of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian President hailed the country's "remarkable progress" and its authority in the international arena.

“Moscow and New Delhi are engaged in fruitful cooperation across a wide range of areas and coordinate closely within the framework of the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, BRICS, and other multilateral institutions,” Putin said.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen wished his "Indian friends" on the 80th Independence Day on Saturday.

"Happy Independence Day, to every single one of my Indian friends! I love your country so much! I love all the kind people! Jai Hind!" he wrote on X.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: 'Suryapath Tiranga' -- a first-of-its-kind initiative, involving several Indian missions, from east to west, under which the images of the tricolour is being "digitally relayed" across multiple time zones, began from India's High Commission in Fiji on Saturday to mark the country's 80th Independence Day.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: The tricolour was ceremonially hoisted at the Delhi Police headquarters on Saturday to mark the 80th Independence Day, with senior officers calling upon the force to uphold the values of freedom, justice, equality and dignity, PTI news agency reported.

Special Commissioner of Police Rajesh Khurana hoisted the national flag on the lawns of the police headquarters on Jai Singh Road and extended Independence Day greetings to the force personnel and their families.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Beating retreat ceremony was held at the Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar on Independence Day.

Independence Day 2026 LIVE: Manipur chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Saturday hoisted the National Flag at the 1st Manipur Rifles Parade Ground in Imphal on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day, ANI news agency reported.