NEW DELHI, Aug 15: India is celebrating its 78th Independence Day on Thursday, August 15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin the celebrations by hoisting the national flag at the iconic Red Fort in Delhi, followed by an address to the nation. This will be Narendra Modi's 11th consecutive Independence Day speech as the prime minister. A grand parade will also be held showcasing India's military prowess, cultural diversity, and technological progress. Here is the full schedule for Independence Day:

The Independence Day ceremony will begin with PM Narendra Modi being received by senior government and military officials, followed by an inspection of the Guard of Honour, which this year will be coordinated by the Indian Navy.

A symbolic moment will occur when the prime minister unfurls the national flag, accompanied by a 21-gun salute by the 1721 Field Battery, using indigenous 105mm Light Field Guns.

The prime minister will inspect the Guard of Honour and will head to the ramparts of the Red Fort, where he will be welcomed by the Defence Minister, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Naval Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari - where he will unfurl the national flag.

During the unfurling, a National Flag Guard will present the ‘Rashtriya Salute’ - this includes one officer and 32 personnel each from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with 128 Delhi Police officers.

The Punjab Regiment Military Band, made up of one junior commission officer and 25 soldiers, will play the National Anthem during the flag unfurling and salute.

Following this, Modi will address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort at 7:30am. The event will be broadcast live on Doordarshan and on all the other media channels and will be streamed on the Press Information Bureau (PIB) YouTube channel, as well as on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) via @PIB_India and the PMO Twitter handle.

Around 6,000 special guests representing diverse sections of Indian society, including youth, tribal communities, farmers, women, and beneficiaries of various government schemes, have been invited this year to witness the ceremony.

According to an official release, 161 field functionaries from across the country who are implementing different schemes of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, along with their spouses and companions’ have been invited to be a part of the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort as special guests. Along with these, chosen women workers of Anganwadis, Sakhi One-Stop Centres, Sankalp: Hubs for Empowerment of Women, Child Welfare Committees and District Child Protection Units have also been invited as special guests.

Security has been beefed up in the national capital, with more than 10,000 police officers and 3,000 traffic police personnel deployed. In addition to the extensive police presence, snipers, elite SWAT commandos, and sharpshooters have been positioned at strategic locations.

The Delhi traffic police has issued advisories regarding route closures and diversions in the national capital till 10am.

 
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