Sidelights of 77th I-Day celebrations at Red Fort

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday delivered his ​tenth consecutive Independence Day address from the Red Fort during which he said India is at a decisive turning point and has the strength to shape the new world order that was emerging in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. He also assured the countrymen of a "New India" with a bright future in next five years.

-- Modi arrived at the Red Fort at 7:18 am.

-- The prime minister paired a ​Rajasthani bandhani print multicoloured turban with a white full-sleeves kurta, churidar and a V-neck jacket.

-- Modi was received by ​Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt and Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane.

-- The secretary introduced the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Delhi, Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, to Modi.

-- The prime minister, accompanied by the GOC, proceeded towards the saluting base where a combined Inter-Services and Police Guard presented a general salute to him.

-- Modi walked to the ramparts of the Red Fort where he was greeted by the defence minister, his deputy, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Manoj Pande, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari.

-- The prime minister unfurled the tricolour at the 17th-century Mughal monument, around 7.30 am. Two women army officers, Majors Nikita Nair and Jasmine Kaur, assisted Modi in unfurling the national flag.

-- The guards presented the national salute as the band played the national anthem amid a 21-gun salute.

-- Indigenous 105-mm Light Field Guns were used for the first time for ceremonial gun salute at Independence Day event.

-- The unfurling of the national flag was synchronised with the 21-gun salute by gunners of the elite 8,711 Field Battery (Ceremonial).

-- Indian Air Force helicopters showered flower petals at the venue drawing loud applause and cheers from the audience.

-- The prime minister addressed the nation for 90 minutes. For the ​tenth​ year in a row, he spoke from an open-air podium and not a bullet-proof glass enclosure.

-- Sarpanches of vibrant villages, fishermen, nurses to construction workers of Central Vista Project, including the new Parliament building, were among 1800 "special guests" at the event.

-- Seventy-five couples from each state and Union Territory, in their traditional attire, were invited to witness the ceremony.

-- A group of 50 school teachers who were selected by the Ministry of Education for displaying outstanding dedication and commitment in the field of education, were also among the invitees.

-- A bipartisan group of US lawmakers led by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna and Congressman Michael Waltz, also attended the event.

-- Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Union ministers ​Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, ​Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, ​Anurag Thakur, Hardeep Singh Puri and Smriti Irani​.

-- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and LG Vinai Kumar Saxena also attended the event.

-- The G20 logo was part of the floral decorations at Red Fort.

-- After his speech, the prime minister went to the enclosure where school children and NCC cadets were seated. He met the excited group amid chants of "Vande Matram" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai".

-- ​The sun was shining clearly​ and high humidity levels caused some inconvenience to the attendees.

-- Multi-layer security was in place across Delhi on Tuesday, with more than 10,000 personnel manning the area in and around Red Fort.

-- Around 1,000 cameras with facial recognition and video analytic systems were installed in and around the fort and at other strategic locations to ensure security and monitor VVIP movements.