India marked its 80th Independence Day with widespread celebrations at the historic Red Fort in New Delhi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation for the 13th straight year after unfurling the Tricolour.
The morning carried deep cultural significance, marking 150 years of the national song Vande Mataram, which was officially performed in full during the main ceremony at the Red Fort for the very first time. The flag-hoisting was accompanied by a synchronized 21-gun salute fired from indigenous 105 mm Light Field Guns, while Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters showered flower petals across the Gyanpath lawns.
Speaking before a crowd of thousands—including nearly 5,000 special invitees comprising grassroots workers, farmers, frontline staff, innovators, and artisans—the Prime Minister centered his address on youth energy, administrative overhauls, and technological self-reliance.
From the ramparts, Modi credited the collective resolve of 140 crore Indians for powering the country's economic and manufacturing expansion. He drew attention to the rapid industrial gains made over the past decade, pointing out sharp increases in local defence production, electronics assembly, and domestic smartphone manufacturing that have turned India from an import-dependent market into an assertive global exporter.
Looking ahead, he underscored strategic moves to secure domestic critical mineral supply chains and speed up the development of indigenous nuclear power plants to ensure long-term energy security. Reflecting on governance and social welfare, the Prime Minister highlighted the far-reaching impact of saturation-model welfare schemes and robust digital public platforms, which have helped lift millions out of multi-dimensional poverty into a rising neo-middle class.
Modi concluded with a direct appeal to the country’s youth, startups, and innovators to break free from bureaucratic inertia, scale up homegrown research and technology, and lead the charge in making India a fully developed nation—Viksit Bharat—by the centenary of its independence in 2047.