Independence Day 2026 LIVE Updates: India marks its 80th Independence Day today on August 15, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to preside over the main celebrations at the Red Fort in Delhi amid patriotic programmes and heightened security arrangements. For the first time, the National Song Vande Mataram will be performed as part of the Independence Day ceremony at the Red Fort. Similar celebrations will take place across the country, with state capitals as well as cities and towns hosting ceremonial flag-hoisting programmes followed by cultural events. The central Independence Day ceremony will be held at the Red Fort complex, where PM Modi will lead the national celebrations. The Defence Ministry said on Thursday that the grand Independence Day ceremony will mark 150 years of the enduring legacy of the National Song, ‘Vande Mataram’, and “celebrate the energy, aspirations and pivotal contribution of ‘Yuva Shakti’ in driving India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047”. Independence day celebrations at Red Fort When PM Modi reaches the Red Fort, he will be welcomed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. The Defence Secretary will then introduce Lt Gen Rajesh Sethi, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Delhi Area, to the Prime Minister. Lt Gen Sethi will escort Modi to the saluting base, where a combined Guard comprising personnel from the three armed forces and Delhi Police will give him a general salute. PM Modi will subsequently inspect the Guard of Honour, according to the Defence Ministry’s earlier statement. The Guard of Honour will comprise one officer and 24 personnel each from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Delhi Police. 5,000 special guests, 1,500-plus traditional-attire invitees to attend Red Fort ceremony Around 5,000 special guests from diverse backgrounds have been invited to attend this year’s Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort. The invitees include International Yoga Day volunteers, women entrepreneurs supported under the PM Mudra Yojana, high-performing MY Bharat volunteers, top-performing PMAY (U) beneficiaries and street vendors covered under PM SVANidhi, among others. Another 1,500-plus people from different states and Union Territories, dressed in traditional Indian attire, will also be present at the main ceremony, the ministry said. To encourage a sense of patriotism among the public, band performances are also being organised at 343 prominent locations across the country, according to the Defence Ministry. Source link Post navigation Picasso etching stolen in 2018 found in vacant apartment after landlord’s discovery Michigan series of killings leave six dead, including suspected gunman; police launch probe
