79th Independence Day: 11,000 security personnel to be deployed near Red Fort; surveillance intensified across Delhi

79th Independence Day: The country is going to celebrate its 79th Independence Day. On August 15, Friday, the main event will be held at the Red Fort in the capital Delhi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hoist the tricolor as per tradition and address the nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his 12th consecutive Independence Day address from the Red Fort. Recently, he has surpassed Indira Gandhi's record of consecutive tenures and will now be second only to Jawaharlal Nehru in terms of delivering consecutive speeches from the Red Fort.

PM Modi's historic address from Red Fort on Independence Day

Meanwhile Prime Minister Address is expected to focus on national security, economic growth and welfare model. In a 98-minute address last year, Modi had emphasized on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), announced the addition of 75,000 new medical seats and raised social issues like crimes against women, cleanliness, women empowerment.

Sarpanchs of 85 villages will be special guests

This time, sarpanches of 85 villages from 26 states and union territories selected from across the country have been invited as special guests in the ceremony. These sarpanches are being honored for their remarkable contribution to cleanliness, safe drinking water, women empowerment and sustainable governance in rural India. All the selected panchayats have been declared ODF Plus under Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin and Har Ghar Jal village under Jal Jeevan Mission.

Also Read: 79th Independence Day: PM Modi to lead Independence Day celebrations from  Red Fort tomorrow

Tight security

Unprecedented security arrangements have been made in and around the Red Fort. Snipers have been deployed on high-rise buildings, while surveillance teams will constantly monitor activities from rooftops. Technologies such as anti-drone units, CCTV cameras, face recognition systems, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and, for the first time, under-vehicle surveillance systems (UVSS) are being used. The underside of vehicles at five parking lots will be checked to detect any explosives, weapons or suspicious material.

79th Independence Day celebration

Multiple security layers have been created in coordination with the Delhi Police, the Army and paramilitary forces. Patrolling has also been increased in sensitive areas, water purification plants and along the Yamuna. Cyber units have been beefed up monitoring social media platforms to immediately stop any potential online threat or rumour.

Minute-to-minute program of Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort

Start of the program- Prime Minister will reach Red Fort, where he will be welcomed by Defense Minister and other officials. Guard of Honor will be presented by Indian Armed Forces and Delhi Police.

7:35 am: National Flag Hoisting- Prime Minister Modi will go to the ramparts of the Red Fort after inspecting the Guard of Honor. The Prime Minister will hoist the national flag with the assistance of Flying Officer Rashika Sharma.

 7:37 am: National Salute and National Anthem- National Flag Guard will give National Salute. The Air Force Band, which will include 11 Agniveer Air Musicians, will present the National Anthem.

7:40 am: Pushp Varsha- Two Mi-17 helicopters will shower flowers on the crowd present. One helicopter will fly carrying the tricolor and the other carrying the flag of Operation Sindoor.

7:45 am: Prime Minister's address - Prime Minister Modi will deliver his 12th consecutive Independence Day speech. The speech will discuss the priorities of the government, major achievements so far and the vision for India's future.

8:15 am: National Anthem Singing - At the conclusion of the Prime Minister's speech, 2,500 NCC cadets and 'My India' volunteers will sing the national anthem.

Additional events - In the evening, military band performances will be given at more than 140 major locations across the country. The logo and theme of Operation Sindoor will be prominently displayed in the ceremony, which symbolizes India's strong position against terrorism. About 5,000 special guests will attend the event, including winners of international sports competitions.

Routes will be diverted on many roads in Delhi

Traffic Police has issued traffic restrictions on several major routes from 4 am to 10 am. Movement of common vehicles will remain closed on many roads including Lal Qila, Chandni Chowk, Netaji Subhash Marg, Lothian Road, SP Mukherjee Marg, parts of Ring Road. It has been advised to use Outer Ring Road, Aurobindo Marg, Safdarjung Road, Pant Marg, Kamal Ataturk Marg, Mata Rani Jhansi Road, Vikas Marg and Wazirabad Bridge as alternative routes. Entry of commercial vehicles has been banned from 10 pm on August 14.

Chances of light rain

India Meteorological Department has predicted rain in the night Cloudy weather and light rain are expected in Delhi on the day. The maximum temperature is expected to be between 31 to 33 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature is expected to be between 23 to 25 degrees Celsius.

Summary

This year the theme of Independence Day has been kept as 'New India'. The Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Culture are jointly running the Har Ghar Tiranga, Har Ghar Swachhata Abhiyan, so that water, sanitation and health (WaSH) goals can be linked with national pride.

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