New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) The country will celebrate the 79th Independence Day on Friday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the celebrations from the iconic Red Fort in Delhi.

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

As the nation is making giant strides towards realising the government’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, the theme of this year’s celebrations is “Naya Bharat”.

The celebrations will serve as a platform to commemorate the continuing rise of a prosperous, secure and bold “Naya Bharat” (New India) and provide renewed power to surge further ahead on the path to progress., an official statement said.

The success of ‘Operation Sindoor’ will be celebrated during the Independence Day celebrations this year.

Security has also been tightened in the national capital ahead of the Independence Day celebrations.

This year, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is the coordinating service for the national event, which will feature a ceremonial Guard of Honour, a 21-gun salute, and a special flypast carrying the national flag and the Operation Sindoor flag.

Upon arrival at the Red Fort, PM Modi will be received by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Then, the Prime Minister will be introduced to Lieutenant General Bhavnish Kumar, General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the Delhi Area, who will escort him to the Saluting Base for the general salute and Guard of Honour inspection.

The Guard of Honour, commanded by Wing Commander A.S. Sekhon, will comprise 96 personnel, including one officer and 24 members each from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, and Delhi Police.

After inspecting the Guard of Honour, PM Modi will proceed to the ramparts of the Red Fort, where he will be greeted by the Chiefs of the three armed forces and the Chief of the Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.

Flying Officer Rashika Sharma will assist the Prime Minister in hoisting the Tricolour, which will be synchronised with a 21-gun salute from the 1721 Field Battery (Ceremonial) using indigenous 105mm Light Field Guns.

After being hoisted, the Tricolour will receive a ‘Rashtriya Salute’.

The Air Force band, consisting of one Joint Commissioned Officer and 25 other ranks, will play the national anthem.

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 and girl cadets (Army, Navy and Air Force) and ‘My Bharat’ volunteers will participate in the celebrations.

These cadets and ‘My Bharat’ volunteers will be seated on Gyanpath, opposite the Rampart.

They will be forming the ‘Naya Bharat’ logo.

Invitation cards are carrying the Operation Sindoor logo, as well as the water mark of Chenab bridge.

Around 5,000 special guests from different walks of life have been invited to witness the celebrations at Red Fort this year.

These include Indian contingent of Special Olympics 2025, winners of International sports events and Gold medalists of Khelo India Para Games.

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 more than 140 prominent locations throughout the country.

Nearly 5,000 special guests from different walks of life have been invited to witness the celebrations at the Red Fort this year.

More than 1,500 people from various states/Union Territories dressed in traditional attire have also been invited to witness the grand ceremony.

–IANS

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