NEW DELHI: India is prepared to celebrate its 76th Independence Day on August 15 with a full-honour. On this day, India is remembered for achieving independence from colonial authority after two centuries of British repression.  The celebration of the I-Day honours the sacrifices and tireless efforts of our brave leaders and freedom fighters who gave their entire life for the sake of India.

On this day, New Delhi's iconic Red Fort will serve as the site of the inaugural hoisting of the "Tiranga" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will then address the nation from the Red Fort's ramparts, keeping with tradition. This will be the Prime Minister's seventh Independence Day speech to the country from the Red Fort, which is noteworthy.

The Prime Minister will be greeted at the Red Fort by Defense Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar, Minister of State for Defense Ajay Bhatt, and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. The General Officer Commanding (GoC), Delhi Area, Lieutenant General Vijay Kumar Mishra, AVSM, will be introduced to the Prime Minister by the Defence Secretary. The Prime Minister will then be led by the GoC Delhi Area to the saluting base, where an Inter-Services and Delhi Police Guard would salute him officially. The Prime Minister will then inspect the Guard of Honour after that.

One officer and 20 men from each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Delhi Police will serve as the Prime Minister's Guard of Honour. This year, the organising service is the Indian Air Force. Wing Commander Kunal Khanna will be in charge of leading the Guard of Honour. Squadron Leader Lokendra Singh will lead the Air Force contingent, Major Vikas Sangwan will lead the Army contingent, and Lieutenant Commander Avinash Kumar will lead the Navy contingent in the Prime Minister's Guard. Achin Garg, Additional DCP (East Delhi), will serve as the commander of the Delhi Police contingent.

At the moment the National Flag is raised by the Prime Minister, the Rashtriya Salute will be performed by the National Flag Guard, which consists of five officers and 128 men from the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Delhi Police. This Inter-Services Guard and Police Guard will be under the direction of Wing Commander TVR Singh of the Indian Air Force.

Squadron Leader Mihir Zokarkar will lead the Air Force contingent, Major Akash Joshi will lead the Army contingent, and Lieutenant Commander Praveen Saraswat will lead the Naval contingent in the National Flag Guard. Akshat Kaushal, Additional DCP (Central Delhi), would be in charge of leading the contingent of Delhi Police.

The Prime Minister will address the country after the flower petal shower. The National Anthem will be sung by the National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets following the prime minister's speech. At this festival of national fervour, 792 boys and girls NCC cadets (Army, Navy, and Air Force) from various schools across the nation will participate. These cadets will be arranged in a geographical configuration resembling the Map of India at the "Gyan Path" in front of the Red Fort's walls. They will wear attire from the locations they are representing, illustrating the diversity of Indian cultures. The goal of this is to spread the message of "Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat."

During the ceremonial 21-gun salute, an indigenous howitzer gun called the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), which was created as part of the government's "Make in India" effort, will fire for the first time. The DRDO created and refined the rifle, making it entirely indigenous. The gun will serve as evidence of India's expanding capacity to produce weapons and ammo domestically.

In keeping with the initiative started on Republic Day 2022, the ceremony will include special invitations to the unsung heroes of society who are usually forgotten. These people include mortuary employees, street merchants, mudra scheme borrowers, and anganwadi employees.

The Ministries of Defense and Culture joined forces with the National Gallery of Modern Art as part of "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav" to pay a special tribute to the valiant members of India's liberation movement.

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