Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lead 79^th Independence Day celebrations from Red Fort, Delhi

New Delhi, August 13. The Nation will celebrate the 79^th Independence Day on August 15, 2025, with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the celebrations from the iconic Red Fort in Delhi. The Prime Minister will unfurl 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.

The Ceremony

Upon 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. 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 PM 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.

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, Minister of State 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 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:

• Indian contingent of Special Olympics 2025
• Winner of international sports events
• Gold Medalists of Khelo India Para Games
• Best performing farmers trained & financially assisted under National Beekeeping and Honey Mission
• Best performing farmers under scheme on conservation, development and sustainable management of medicinal plants
• 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 PACS
• Best performing Interns of PM Internship Scheme
• Best performing My Bharat Volunteers
• Beneficiaries of PM Awaas Yojana Gramin
• Delhi based school children who are winners of Online/Offline Quizzes/Competitions
• 50 better performing Swachhta workers of Swachhta Campaign
• Beneficiaries of Lakhpati Didi
• Anganwadi Workers/Helpers, Supervisors, Child Development Project Officers, Child Care Institutions, Mission Shakti
• Rehabilitated bonded labourers, rescued and rehabilitated women & children
• Volunteers/instructors involved with International Yoga Day
• Sarpanches/village leaders who have reached any one of the central/state sector social welfare schemes at saturation level
• Guests from Vibrant Villages
• Self Help Groups under National Rural Livelihoods Mission during last one year
• Innovators/Entrepreneurs from Innovations for Defence Excellence
• Tribal children from native communities of Andaman & Nicobar Islands

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

Public convenience

• Provision of cloak room: Availability of cloak rooms was applauded by visitors during Republic Day Celebrations. For the ease of users, 25 cloak rooms at 12 locations have been installed for the first time during Independence Day celebrations.
• Volunteers at helpdesk: 190 volunteers (120 from ‘My Bharat’ & 70 from NCC) will assist the visitors along with police personnel in reaching the enclosures. The volunteers can be identified on the way to Red Fort by the visitors.
• Provision of Wheelchair: NCC cadets will be there at metro stations and parking areas for all the visitors who need assistance with wheelchairs.
• Additional Car parking facilities: Provision of car parking for 250 additional cars has been made in parking no. 4A.
• Metro Services: Metro will be operational from 4 AM on August 15^th to help the people to reach the venue easily.

Competitions

• In the run up to Independence Day, quizzes and competitions were conducted by Ministry of Defence in collaboration with My Gov. The details of the competitions are as follows:
• Competition for Design of Formation on Gyanpath
• Essay Competition on the topic ‘Operation Sindoor- Redefining India’s policy against terrorism’
• Reel Competition: Walk to The Monuments/Sites of Indian Independence
• Painting Competition on the theme ‘New India Empowered India’
• Series of online quiz contests:

1. 1. Role of Women in Shaping New India
   2. Bharat Ranbhoomi: Border of India
   3. Rise of Aatmanirbhar Innovation in National Security

Around 1,000 winners of the competitions will also be part of the celebrations.

Military Band Performances

To promote patriotic fervor among citizens and to celebrate victory of Operation Sindoor, a number of band performances will be conducted pan-India for the first time in the evening of Independence Day celebrations. The performances will be conducted by the bands of 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.