PM Modi hoists the tricolour for the 7th time at the Red Fort on Independence Day

August 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hoisted the National Flag for the seventh straight time at the Red Fort on the occasion of 74th Independence Day. Before the ceremony, he put out a tweet congratulating Indians on the auspicious day and sent best wishes. “Happy Independence Day to all fellow Indians. Jai Hind!” the Prime Minister’s tweet read.

Prime Minister Modi was sported in an orange-colour headgear, with a dash of yellow shade along with a long trail extended till his ankle as he visited the historic Mughal-era Red Fort to mark India’s 74th Independence Day celebrations.

PM Modi became the first non-Congress Prime Minister to do so most frequently. Nehru was the prime minister of the country till 27 March 1964 and during this time he hoisted the flag on record 15 times on 15 August. It is followed by Indira Gandhi (11) and Manmohan Singh (10). Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who headed the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), hoisted the tricolor six times between 19 March 1998 and 22 May 2004.

Before going to Red Fort, PM Modi visited Rajghat, the resting place of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and paid homage. However, celebrations this year are muted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event at Red Fort, unlike other years, saw a reduced list of dignitaries in attendance, police personnel in protective gear and no participation of school children.

In the one-hour 26-minute speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi focused on multifarious themes like “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India)”, “Vocal for local” and “Make in India to Make for World”. He also paid tribute to those on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus and declared that India had a roadmap ready for the production and distribution of three COVID-19 vaccines that are at various stages of testing.

“We’re going through distinct times. I can’t see young children in front of me today (at Red Fort). Corona has stopped everyone. In these times of COVID, Corona warriors have lived the mantra of ‘Seva Parmo Dharma’ and served the people of India. I express my gratitude to them,” PM Modi said.

He also listed out a number of reform measures undertaken by his government which has resulted in a record Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country last year. The prime minister began his address by paying tributes to freedom fighters and security forces while also remembering Aurobindo Ghose, a freedom fighter and spiritual philosopher whose birth anniversary falls today.