Stage set for nation to mark 74th I-Day
PM to arrive at Red Fort 7.18 am Guard of honour to have 1 officer & personnel from Army, Navy, IAF & police ■
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the nation in celebrating the 74th Independence Day at the Red Fort in New Delhi on Saturday. He will unfurl the national flag and deliver the customary address to the nation from the ramparts of the iconic monument.
Maj. Shweta Pandey will assist the Prime Minister in unfurling the national flag.
Upon his arrival at 7.18 am in front of Lahori Gate of Red Fort, the PM will be received by defence minister Rajnath Singh and defence secretary Ajay Kumar. The defence secretary will introduce the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Delhi area, Lt. Gen. Vijay Kumar Mishra, to the PM.
The GOC will then conduct the Prime Minister to the Saluting Base where a combined inter-services and police guards will present general salute to PM Modi after which he will inspect the guard of honour.
The guard of honour contingent will consist of one officer and 24 men each from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Delhi police. The guard of honour will be positioned directly in front of the national flag across the moat below the ramparts.
This year, the Army being the coordinating service, the guard of honour will be commanded by Lt. Col. Gaurav S. Yewalkar. The Army contingent in the Prime Minister’s guard will be commanded by Maj. Palvinder Grewal, the Navy contingent by Lieutenant Commander K.V.R. Reddy, while Squadron Leader Vikas Kumar will lead the Air Force contingent. The Delhi police contingent will be led by additional DCP Jitender Kumar Meena.
After inspecting the guard of honour, the PM will proceed to the ramparts of the Red Fort where he will be greeted by defence minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat, and all the three chiefs of Army, Navy, and Air Force.
After the unfurling of the national flag by the PM, the National Guard will give “Rashtriya Salute” to the national flag.
The Army Grenadiers Regimental Centre Military Band will play the national anthem during the unfurling of the national flag and the “Rashritya Salute”. The band will be commanded by Subedar Major Abdul Gani.
The unfurling of the tricolour will synchronise with the 21 gun salute fired by the valiant gunners of the elite 2233 Field Battery (Ceremonial).
The ceremonial battery will be commanded by Lt. Col. Jitendra Singh Mehta and the gun position officer will be Naib Subedar (AIG) Anil Chand.
Maj. Surya Prakash from the Army will be in command of this inter-services guard and police guard. The Naval Contingent for the national flag guard will be commanded by Lieutenant Commander Vivek Tingloo, Air Force contingent by Squadron Leader Mayank Abhishek, and Delhi police contingent by additional deputy commissioner of police Sudhanshu Dhama.
The Army contingent for the national flag guard is drawn from the 5th Battalion of the First Gorkha Rifles.
The ministry of defence has taken special measures for maintaining balance between the sanctity and dignity of the national function while factoring in precautions related to the Covid-19 scenario.