Independence Day 2025 highlights: PM Modi's record-time speech, celebrations across nation

Extending greetings on the 79th Independence Day, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the resolve of 'Viksit Bharat' will be fulfilled when India completes 100 years of independence in 2047.

"I extend greetings to all the people of the country. After the struggle for years, after lakhs of sacrifices, the country attained freedom on 15th August 1947. The country has only made developments so far. Even in the time ahead, the country is going to develop twice and even four times more than development so far. When the country celebrates 100 years of independence, in 2047, we will be able to fulfil our resolve of Viksit Bharat..." he said.

Union Minister and former MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hoisted the tricolour at his residence on Friday as India marked the 79th Independence Day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended wishes on Independence Day through an X post, saying he wishes the day inspired all to “keep working even harder to realise the dreams of our freedom fighters and build a Viksit Bharat”.

His post comes ahead of his address at the Red Fort. This would be his 12th consecutive address on Independence Day.

Preparations have been made and the Red Fort is decked up ahead of the Independence Day event in Delhi, to be attended and addressed by PM Modi. The ceremony will begin at 7:30 am, and PM Modi will hoist a tricolour.

Operation Sindoor will be a key focus during the event, and posters and banners on the military move are also a part of the decorations at Red Fort.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday participated in the Tiranga Yatra in Guwahati on the eve of Independence Day. “We have taken out a Tiranga Yatra in Guwahati today. People have participated in the Ya tra with great enthusiasm. For an aatmanirbhar Bharat, for a united India and to ensure that India becomes stronger everyone is participating in Tiranga Yatra,” the BJP leader said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation from the Red Fort today as India marks its 79th Independence Day. The address will be broadcast live on Doordarshan and also live-streamed on PIB's YouTube channel and X handle.

This will be PM Modi's 12th consecutive address on Independence Day. Read full story here.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivered an address on the eve of Independence Day, highlighting Operation Sindoor, launched in May targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and POK. The Defence Minister said the military move "emerged as a balanced military response amidst the asymmetric warfare being witnessed across the globe".

He also said that the operation symbolised the government's commitment towards indigenous technology, and self-reliance in the defence sector.

Police checked vehicles on the eve of Independence Day amid heightened security in both Delhi and Mumbai, visuals showed on Thursday. News agency ANI shared clips from Connaught Place in Delhi and Dharavi T Junction in Mumbai.

President Droupadi Murmu approved the Tatrakshak medal to five personnel from the Indian Coast Guard on Thursday, the Ministry of Defence said in a release. The Tatrakshak medal for Gallantry has been conferred to Commandant Srinivas Gadam, Junior Commandant Ankit Sharma and Rajkamal Attri. Meanwhile, the Tatrakshak Medal: Meritorious service was awarded to Inspector General Anupam Rai and Deputy Inspector General Bibhuti Ranjan. The medals recognise their acts of conspicuous gallantry, exceptional devotion to duty, and meritorious service.

The Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar, Punjab was illuminated with the tricolour amid celebrations on the 79th Independence Day. Landmarks across India were seen lit up in tricolour colours on the eve of the Independence Day.

In ‘Sandesh to Soldiers’ aired on Akashvani on the eve of the 79th Independence Day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that Operation Sindoor had emerged as a “balanced military response”.

“It was a clear message from India that we are tolerant, but when it comes to the safety of our people and the dignity of our country, we unite and face every challenge boldly. Operation Sindoor is a part of India's new policy, a clear message that no matter how deep the roots of terrorism are, its complete destruction will be ensured,” Singh said. He added that Operation Sindoor would continue till its goal of complete destruction of terrorism is achieved.

Pan-India performances will be conducted by bands in 140 prominent locations to promote patriotic fervour among the citizens and to celebrate the success of Operation Sindoor, PTI reported.

The performances will be conducted by the bands of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, NCC, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, SSB, BSF, IDS, RPF and Assam Rifles.

A group of 30 meritorious students from the tribal communities of Andaman and Nicobar Islands will attend and witness the 79th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort in Delhi on Friday, officials said.

The students on Thursday met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at South Block and interacted with him as part of the ‘Aarohan: Dweep to Delhi’, a seven-day national integration tour organised by the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), PTI quoted officials as saying.

The security has been beefed up in Delhi for the 79th Independence Day, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems being deployed. These include anti-intrusion cameras, facial recognition, people count cameras, automatic number plate recognition, and abandoned object detection, PTI reported.

Apart from these, anti-drone systems and over 800 CCTV cameras are also operational in the National Capital. Two special control rooms – one inside and one outside the Red Fort – have been set up to monitor 426 cameras in real time.

In a first, two Agniveers from the Indian Army have been conferred a prestigious military honour for their acts of gallantry, officials said. Agniveer Kulveer Singh of 7 Sikh Light Infantry and Agniveer Mood Muralinaik of 851 Light Regiment were awarded the Sena Medal (Gallantry).

President Droupadi Murmu, on the eve of the 79th Independence Day, approved 127 gallantry awards and 40 awards for Distinguished Service.

The valour displayed by the armed forces was recreated by drones in the sky above Jodhpur by drones. 550 drones took flight together from the city's Mehrangarh Fort on the eve of the 79th Independence Day to recreate the feat, PTI reported.

The drones displayed formations depicting maps showing where India had carried out the attacks in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. The drone formations were a part of an event organised at the fort to mark the eve of Independence Day.

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday approved 127 Gallantry awards and 40 Distinguished Service awards to the armed forces and central armed police forces personnel on the eve of the 79th Independence Day.

“These are: 04 Kirti Chakras; 15 Vir Chakras; 16 Shaurya Chakras; 02 Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry); 58 Sena Medals (Gallantry); 06 Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry); 26 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry); 07 Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals; 09 Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 24 Yudh Seva Medals,” a press release said.

“The President has also approved 290 Mention-in-Despatches - 115 personnel of the Indian Army, 05 of the Indian Navy, 167 of the Indian Air Force and 03 of the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB),” it added.

The iconic ‘Clock Tower’ in Lal Chowk in Srinagar and other famed places across Kashmir were on Thursday illuminated with the tricolour to mark the eve of the 79th Independence Day. The ‘Clock Tower’, popularly known as ‘Ghanta Ghar’, is located at the Lal Chowk city centre.

Several other landmarks throughout the city, including key buildings and mini-secretariats, housing several government offices, were also illuminated as part of the celebrations, PTI reported.

23 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were awarded gallantry medals on the eve of the 79th Independence Day. Among them, Constables Saddam Hussain, Feda Hussain Dar and Sanjay Tiwari were decorated with the Shaurya Chakra, which is the third-highest peacetime defence gallantry medal in India. CRPF, which is the country's largest paramilitary force, received the highest gallantry awards among the Central Armed Police Forces.

High Commissioner of Singapore to India, Simon Wong extended his greetings to India on the eve of Independence Day, wishing for stronger ties between both countries in the future.

“Happy 79th Independence Day India! As close partners, we value our friendship and look forward to even stronger ties ahead as we commemorate the 60th anniversary of our bilateral ties. Wishing all our Indian friends a joyful celebration!-HC Wong,” Wong said in a post on X.

The High Commission of India in London commemmorated Partition Horrors Remembrance Day on Thursday, with a special photography exhibition and a documentary screening to reflect upon India's Partition in August 1947.

“When we recall Partition, we must also recall that this was a tragedy for everybody, because it was a tragedy that happened to all communities,” Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami said in his address to a gathering of community leaders and Indian diaspora members, PTI reported.

Independence Day 2025 LIVE updates: Chief Minister M K Stalin will not take part in the tea party to be hosted by Governor R N Ravi on Independence Day, the Tamil Nadu government said on Thursday. The chief minister's boycott of the "At Home Reception" is to show opposition to Governor Ravi, who "acts against the interests of Tamil Nadu people," the state government said in an official release.

In order to oppose Governor Ravi, state Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhian will boycott the convocation ceremonies of Alagappa and Tiruvalluvar universities on August 18 and 19 respectively, as per the advice of CM Stalin. (PTI)

Independence Day 2025 LIVE updates: PM Modi hails President Droupadi Murmu's I-day eve speech.

“On the eve of our Independence Day, Rashtrapati Ji has given a thoughtful address in which she has highlighted the collective progress of our nation and the opportunities ahead. She reminded us of the sacrifices that paved the way for India's freedom and called upon every citizen to contribute towards nation-building,” he wrote on X.

Independence Day 2025 LIVE updates: Metro Railway Kolkata will operate a total of 398 train services across its Blue and Green Lines on Independence Day, officials said on Thursday.

In the Blue Line (Dakshineswar–Kavi Subhash), 182 services — 91 in each direction — will run on August 15 instead of the usual 262, a statement by Kolkata Metro said.

Special night services in the Blue Line will be available from Sahid Khudiram station at 10:43 pm and from Dum Dum at 10:40 pm. (PTI)

The national capital is likely to witness a cloudy sky with the possibility of light rain on the 79th Independence Day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast.

According to the weather office, Friday will remain mostly overcast, with the maximum temperature likely to hover between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature possibly settling between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius. (PTI)