By News On Air Aug 10, 2026
The 80th Independence Day celebrations this year will highlight Yuva Shakti and the contribution of young India towards building a Viksit Bharat by 2047, along with the commemoration of 150 years of the National Song, Vande Mataram. Briefing media in New Delhi today, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said, the celebrations will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the historic Red Fort. The Prime Minister will unfurl the National Flag and address the nation.
A major highlight of this year’s celebrations will be the commemoration of 150 years of Vande Mataram. For the first time, the National Song will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort during the Independence Day ceremony. The ramparts will be decorated with floral arrangements based on the theme of Vande Mataram, while around 2 thousand 5 hundred NCC cadets and My Bharat volunteers will form a ‘Vande Mataram’ formation on Gyanpath. Vande Mataram will also be sung collectively at the Red Fort with Service bands, with everyone present standing at attention. Following the Prime Minister’s address, NCC cadets and My Bharat volunteers will sing the National Song, followed by the National Anthem.
Mi-17 helicopters will participate in the ceremony, with the aerial display featuring the National Flag, flower petals and a special banner commemorating 150 years of Vande Mataram. As part of the nationwide celebrations, armed forces and other uniformed service bands will perform at 343 prominent locations from 8th to 15th of this month. Bands of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, NCC, CRPF, ITBP, CISF, SSB, BSF, IDS, RPF and Assam Rifles will participate.
The second major theme of the celebration is ‘Yuva Shakti – Leading the Journey to Viksit Bharat@2047’. Nineteen medal-winning students from the 2026 International Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics Olympiads have been invited as special guests, along with young innovators, PM Internship Scheme interns, startups, PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana trainees, My Bharat volunteers and beneficiaries of various government schemes. Around 5 hundred Delhi government school students, selected through quizzes and competitions, will also attend the ceremony.
The celebrations will also recognize other contributors to the Viksit Bharat vision, including women entrepreneurs supported under PM Mudra, PMAY-U beneficiaries, innovators and scientists, Bharat Taxi Sarthis, PM Surya Ghar beneficiaries, PM Vishwakarma artisans, PM Shram Yogi Maandhan beneficiaries, farmers and International Yoga Day volunteers.
More than 15 hundred Delhi-based people representing different States and Union Territories and dressed in traditional attire have been invited. For invitees, Delhi Metro services will begin at 4 AM and will be free of cost. Around 2 hundred My Bharat and NCC volunteers will assist visitors, including those requiring wheelchair assistance. Cloakrooms, drinking water, toilets and rain ponchos will also be available, while parking locations will be provided through Google Maps and Mappls.
After the ceremony, NCC cadets and My Bharat volunteers will undertake a Swachhata campaign at the Red Fort, focusing on systematic plogging and prompt removal of garbage.