India gears up to celebrate 75th Independence Day, PM to deliver speech from Red Fort

India is set to celebrate its 75th Independence Day this year. The occasion is being observed as a 75-week festival called 'Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav'. It was launched on 12 March this year and will continue till 15 August 2023.While launching the programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, "The Azadi Amrit Mahotsav means elixir of energy of independence; elixir of inspirations of the warriors of freedom struggle; elixir of new ideas and pledges; and elixir of Aatmnirbharta. Therefore, this Mahotsav is a festival of awakening of the nation; festival of fulfilling the dream of good governance; and the festival of global peace and development."This year, the theme of the Independence Day celebrations is 'Nation First, Always First'.  Before the mega celebrations gain momentum let's find out what to expect on 15 August.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the nation in celebrating the day from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
• The prime minister will arrive at 7.18 am at the Red Fort, he will be received by Defence minister Rajnath Singh, minister of state for defence Ajay Bhatt and defence secretary Ajay Kumar. He will introduce the general officer commanding (GoC), Delhi Area, Lieutenant General Vijay Kumar Mishra, AVSM, to the prime minister.
• The GoC will then conduct Modi to the Saluting Base where a combined inter-services and Delhi police guard will present general salute to the the prime minister.
• Thereafter, he will inspect the Guard of Honour. The Guard of Honour contingent will consist of one officer and 20 men each from the army, navy, air force and Delhi police. Indian Navy is the coordinating service this year. The Guard of Honour will be commanded by Commander Piyush Gaur. The naval contingent will be commanded by Lt Commander Sune Phogat, the army contingent by Major Vikas Sangwan and the air force contingent by Squadron Leader A Berwal. The Delhi police contingent will be commanded by Additional DCP (West District) Shri Subodh Kumar Goswami.
• Following this, the prime minister will proceed to the ramparts of the Red Fort. The GoC Delhi area will conduct him to the dais on the rampart to hoist the National Flag.
• The prime minister will hoist the National Flag at 7.30 am and deliver the customary address to the Nation at 7.33 am.
• Lt Commander P Priyambada Sahoo will assist the prime minister in hoisting the National Flag. It will be synchronised with the 21 Gun Salute fired by the valiant gunners of the elite 2233 Field Battery (Ceremonial). The ceremonial battery is commanded by Lt Col Jitendra Singh Mehta, SM and the Gun Position Officer will be Naib Subedar (AIG) Anil Chand.
• After being hoisted, the Tricolour will receive a 'Rashtriya Salute'.
• The National Flag Guard comprising five officers and 130 men from the army, navy, air force and Delhi police will present the Rashtriya Salute. Commander Kuldeep M Neralkar from the Indian Navy will be in command of this Inter-Services Guard and Police Guard. The navy contingent in the National Flag Guard will be commanded by Lt Commander Praveen Saraswat, the army contingent by Major Anshul Kumar and the air force contingent by Squadron Leader Rohit Malik. The Delhi police contingent will be commanded by Additional DCP (South West District) Shri Amit Goel.
• The navy band, consisting of 16 men will play the National Anthem during hoisting of the National Flag and the ‘Rashritya Salute’.
• For the first time ever, this year as soon as the National Flag is hoisted by the prime minister, flower petals will be showered at the venue by two Mi 17 1V helicopters of the Indian Air Force in Amrut formation. Captain of the first helicopter will be Wing Commander Baldev Singh Bisht. The second chopper is commanded by Wing Commander Nikhil Mehrotra.
•  Thirty-two Olympic winners, including javelin thrower Subedar Neeraj Chopra, India's first ever Gold medallist in track and field, along with two Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials have been invited to participate in the celebrations at the Red Fort.
• Around 240 Olympians, support staff and SAI and sports federation officials have also been invited.
• To honour the corona warriors who played a vital role in fighting the invisible enemy, COVID-19, a separate block on the south side of the rampart has been created.
• At the conclusion of the prime minister's speech, the cadets of National Cadet Corps (NCC) will sing the National Anthem. Five hundred NCC cadets (army, navy and air force) from different schools will be taking part in this festival.