New Delhi, August 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on August 15, with around 5,000 special guests from different walks of life invited to witness the grand ceremony.
The celebrations will commemorate 150 years of the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ and highlight the contribution of ‘Yuva Shakti’ towards building Viksit Bharat by 2047. For the first time, ‘Vande Mataram’ will be rendered as part of the Independence Day ceremony at the Red Fort.
On his arrival at the Red Fort, the Prime Minister will be received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. He will inspect the Guard of Honour before proceeding to the ramparts, where senior military officials will receive him ahead of the flag-hoisting ceremony.
The National Flag will be hoisted by the Prime Minister, followed by a 21-gun salute and the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ and the National Anthem. Two Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters will shower flower petals at the venue. The Prime Minister will subsequently address the nation.
The special guests include women entrepreneurs under PM Mudra Yojana, beneficiaries of various welfare schemes, street vendors, sanitation workers, Metro employees, youth innovators, scientists, start-up founders, skilled youth, hospital staff, farmers, artisans, PM Surya Ghar beneficiaries and outstanding students.
More than 1,500 people from different States and Union Territories, dressed in traditional attire, will also attend the ceremony, adding a diverse representation of India to the national celebration.
