India gears up for 79th Independence Day celebrations; PM Modi to hoist national flag at iconic Red Fort

August 14, 2025

New Delhi: With few hours until India celebrates its 79th Independence Day, preparations are underway at the Red Fort in the national capital, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hoist the national flag and deliver his 12th consecutive speech to the nation from the ramparts of the historic monument.

Ahead of this significant day, the national flag is visible in every shop and on the roads. From everyday items to clothes, the three colours — saffron, white, and green — are dominating the markets everywhere across the country.

The Prime Minister will hoist the National Flag and address the nation from the ramparts of the iconic monument on Friday.

The theme of this year’s celebrations is Naya Bharat as the nation is making giant strides towards realising the Government’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Upon his arrival at the Red Fort, the Prime Minister will be received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, MoS Defence Sanjay Seth and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. The Defence Secretary will introduce the General Officer Commanding (GoC), Delhi Area Lieutenant General Bhavnish Kumar to the Prime Minister.

The success of Operation Sindoor will be celebrated during the Independence Day Celebrations this year. The view cutter at Gyanpath will have the Operation Sindoor logo. Floral decoration will also be based on the operation.

Flying Officer Rashika Sharma will assist the Prime Minister in hoisting the National Flag.

As soon as the National Flag is hoisted by the Prime Minister, flower petals will be showered at the venue by two Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force – one trooping the national flag and the other trooping a flag depicting ‘Operation Sindoor’. The captains of the helicopters will be Wing Commander Vinay Poonia and Wing Commander Aditya Jaiswal.

After the showering of flower petals, the Prime Minister will address the Nation. At the conclusion of his speech, the cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and ‘My Bharat’ volunteers will sing the National Anthem. A total of 2,500 boy & girl cadets (Army, Navy and Air Force) and ‘My Bharat’ volunteers will participate in the celebrations. These cadets & ‘My Bharat’ volunteers will be seated on Gyanpath, opposite the Rampart. They will be forming the ‘Naya Bharat’ logo.

Approximately 5,000 special guests, from different walks of life, have been invited to witness the celebrations at the Red Fort this year, including the Indian contingent of Special Olympics 2025, the winners of international sports events, the Gold Medalists of Khelo India Para Games, and the best-performing farmers trained & financially assisted under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission.

Best performing farmers traders/cooperatives who availed credit under Credit Guarantee Scheme for e-Negotiable Warehouse Receipts, Best performing Sarpanches of Open Defecation Free Plus Villages, Best performing Sarpanches of Catch the Rain Abhiyan, Best performing young authors under PM YUVA (Youth Author Mentorship Scheme), Best performing Youth, skilled and trained under PM-VIKAS scheme, Best performing entrepreneurs under PM Van Dhan Yojana by TRIFED, Best performing entrepreneurs of SC/ST community under National SC/ST Hub Scheme, Best performing students under PM-DAKSH, SHREYAS and SHRESTA scheme, Best performing Self Help Groups under VISVAS scheme, Best performing entrepreneurs by NSTFDC, Best performing Interns of PM Internship Scheme, Best performing My Bharat Volunteers, Beneficiaries of PM Awaas Yojana Gramin among others have been invited.

To promote patriotic fervour among citizens and to celebrate the victory of Operation Sindoor, a number of band performances will be conducted pan-India for the first time on the evening of Independence Day celebrations. 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 at over 140 prominent locations throughout the country.