- 3 Panchayat leaders from Gujarat invited to Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi
- 210 Panchayat leaders from across the country will attend as special guests
- 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’
NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUG 14
The Nation will celebrate the 79th Independence Day on August 15, 2025, with the Prime Minister Shri 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 & bold Naya Bharat and provide renewed power to surge further ahead on the path to progress.
Guard of Honour to PM
Upon his arrival at the Red Fort, the Prime Minister will be received by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, MoS for 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 GoC, Delhi Area will then conduct Narendra Modi to the Saluting Base where a combined Inter-Services and Delhi Police Guard will present general salute to the Prime Minister. Thereafter, the Prime Minister will inspect the Guard of Honour.
The Guard of Honour contingent for the Prime Minister will consist of 96 personnel (one officer & 24 personnel each from the Army, Navy, Air Force & Delhi Police. The Indian Air Force is the coordinating service for the Independence Day celebrations this year. The Guard of Honour will be commanded by Wing Commander AS Sekhon. The Army contingent in the Prime Minister’s Guard will be commanded by Major Arjun Singh, the Naval contingent by Lieutenant Commander Komaldeep Singh and the Air Force contingent by Squadron Leader Rajan Arora. The Delhi Police contingent will be commanded by Additional DCP Rohit Rajbir Singh.
Prime Minister to hoist the National Flag
After inspecting the Guard of Honour, the Prime Minister will proceed to the ramparts of the Red Fort where he will be greeted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, MoS for Defence Sanjay Seth, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh. The GoC, Delhi area will conduct the Prime Minister to the dais on the ramparts to hoist the National Flag.
Flying Officer Rashika Sharma will assist the Prime Minister in hoisting the National Flag. It will be synchronised with the 21-Gun Salute by the valiant gunners of the 1721 Field Battery (Ceremonial). The ceremonial battery, utilising the indigenous 105mm Light Field Guns, will be commanded by Major Pawan Singh Shekhawat and the Gun Position Officer will be Naib Subedar (Assistant Instructor in Gunnery) Anuthosh Sarkar.
The National Flag Guard, comprising one officer and 32 Other Ranks each from the Army, Navy & Air Force and Delhi Police totalling 128 personnel, will present the Rashtriya Salute at the time of hoisting of the National Flag by the Prime Minister. Wing Commander Tarun Dagar will be in command of this Inter-Services Guard and Police Guard.
The Army Contingent in the National Flag Guard will be commanded by Major Prakash Singh, the Naval contingent by Lieutenant Commander Mohd Parvej and the Air Force Contingent by Squadron Leader VV Sharvan. The Delhi Police contingent will be commanded by Additional DCP Shri Abhimanyu Poswal.
After being hoisted, the Tricolour will receive a ‘Rashtriya Salute’. The Air Force band, consisting of one JCO and 25 Other Ranks, will play the National Anthem during the hoisting of the National Flag and presenting the ‘Rashtriya Salute’. The Band will be conducted by Junior Warrant Officer M Deka. For the first time, 11 Agniveer Vayu musicians will be part of the band which will be playing the National Anthem.
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.
Operation Sindoor
The success of Operation Sindoor will be celebrated during the Independence Day Celebrations this year. View cutter at Gyanpath will have the Operation Sindoor logo. Floral decoration will also be based on the operation.
Invitation cards are also carrying the Operation Sindoor logo. Invitation cards are also carrying the water mark of Chenab bridge, depicting the rise of ‘Naya Bharat’.
Formation of ‘Naya Bharat’ at Gyanpath
After the showering of flower petals, the Prime Minister will address the Nation. At the conclusion of his speech, the cadets of 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.
Special Guests
Approx. 5,000 Special Guests, from different walks of life, have been invited to witness the celebrations at Red Fort this year. These include:
03 Panchayat leaders from Gujarat invited to I-Day celebrations
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj ( MoPR) will host 210 Panchayat representatives from 28 states and Union Territories as special guests during the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort in New Delhi on August 15. They will join the celebrations along with their spouses. These special guests include 03 Sarpanches, including a woman from Gujarat.
Shashikant B. Patel, Sarpanch, Sultanpur
The three Sarpanches invited from Gujarat have achieved cleanliness and various developmental works in their villages and have received the honor of “Model Village of Rural Development”. In which, Sarpanch of Sultanpur village of Jalalpur taluka of Navsari district, Shashikant B. Patel said that Sultanpur is the first village in Gujarat, where a sign board with Braille script has been installed on the toilet for the differently abled. Through which the differently abled can easily use the toilet. The “ Har Ghar , Nal Se Jal ” scheme is being implemented in the village with public participation. Also, the village has been declared an ODF model village.
The Sarpanch of Sultanpur village encourages mothers of girls born in the village by giving them a prize of Rs. 5000. And at the village level, families who have the best kitchen gardens for managing brown water are honored by giving them an incentive amount. Due to this , villagers are motivated to have kitchen gardens.
Daiben Humbal, Sarpanch, Bhimasar
While Daiben Humbal, Sarpanch, Bhimasar , Taluka – Anjar, District – Kutch, said that under the Swachh Bharat Mission, every house in her village has a toilet. Also, a sewage system has been set up in the entire village for waste disposal. Apart from this, door-to-door waste collection is done every day. The people of the village themselves segregate the waste category-wise and dispose of it in a systematic manner. In this way, the villagers also get employment. In addition, this waste is recycled and compost is also made from it. She further said that for the youth of Bhimasar village, there are public libraries, PHCs, post offices, banks, as well as primary to secondary school facilities in the village itself. This village has well-constructed roads and environmental sustainability is actively promoted through initiatives like the Green Bhimasar Project , which includes extensive tree plantation. The villagers have planted 10 trees per household to preserve the local environment. She also added that Bhimasar village has received a total of 13 awards so far.
Narendra Singh Solanki, Sarpanch, Akhod village
While describing the development story of the village, Narendra Singh Solanki, Sarpanch of Akhod village in Vagra taluka of Bharuch district, said that Akhod village is called a “Model Village of Rural Development” in the district. This village is equipped with 100 % toilet facilities. Waste is collected from every house in the village and segregated. In which wet and dry waste is separated and recycled. Also, the plastic in the dry waste is sold for recycling and compost is made from wet waste and distributed to the villagers for farming. A sewage system has been set up in the village, and the water is purified from a grey-water treatment plant and reused in the fields. Apart from this, various media like murals, slogans, and Bhavai are used to provide various planning information under IEC at public places in the village.
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