PM Modi to address the nation from Red Fort on India's 78th Independence Day | Full schedule
PM Modi will unfurl the Indian flag and deliver his customary address to the nation from Delhi's Red Fort.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his 11th consecutive Independence Day speech from the Red Fort in New Delhi on Thursday. This will be his first Independence Day address after being elected as PM for the third time in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
PM Modi will unfurl the Indian flag and deliver his customary address to the nation from Delhi's Red Fort.
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The theme for this year's Independence Day is ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047’. The celebrations will portray the government's efforts to transform India into a developed nation by 2047, according to a release.
About 6,000 special guests have been invited to the event from different walks of life — youth, tribal community, farmers and women.
Full schedule of the event at Red Fort
Upon his arrival at the Red Fort, PM Modi will be met by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, MoS for defence Sanjay Seth and defence secretary Giridhar Aramane.
Aramane will then introduce the General Officer Commanding (GoC) for Delhi Lieutenant General Bhavnish Kumar to Modi. Next, he will take Modi to the Saluting Base where a combined Inter-Services — the Army, Navy, and Air Force — and Delhi Police Guard will present a general salute to the PM.
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The prime minister will inspect the Guard of Honour and will head to the ramparts of the Red Fort, where he will be welcomed by the Defence Minister, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Naval Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari.
The General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Delhi area will escort Modi to the dais to unfurl the National Flag.
Lieutenant Sanjeet Saini will be assisting the PM in unfurling the flag, which will be timed with a 21-gun salute from the 1721 Field Battery.
During the unfurling, a National Flag Guard will present the ‘Rashtriya Salute’. This includes one officer and 32 personnel each from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with 128 Delhi Police officers. Commander Vinay Dubey will lead the combined Inter-Services and Police Guard.
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The Punjab Regiment Military Band, made up of one junior commission officer and 25 soldiers, will play the National Anthem during the flag unfurling and salute.
Post the unfurling of the flag, flower petals will be showered from two Indian Air Force Advanced Light Helicopters flying in formation.
PM Modi will then address the nation.
At the end of his speech, National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets will sing the National Anthem.