Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday unfurled the national flag at the historic Red Fort, marking the 78th Independence Day of the country.
Clad in a light blue bandhgala jacket and multicoloured Rajasthani leheriya print turban, the Prime Minister addressed the nation, stating Independence Day was the day to pay tribute to freedom fighters. "The country is indebted to them," he said.
He also paid condolences to the families who lost their members in the recent national disasters. "Natural disasters have heightened our concern over the last few years; I express my sympathies to affected families," Modi added.
The Prime Minister also stressed the government's resolve to make the country a developed nation by 2047. Stating that India was capable of making India a developed nation by 2047 with our resolve, he said: "If 40 crore people can break shackles of slavery to gain freedom, just imagine what can be achieved by the resolve of 140 crore people."
Before reaching Red Fort, he paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial.
Interestingly, this is Modi's 11th time in a row to unfurl the tricolour from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day. He also surpassed Manmohan Singh who unfurled the national flag 10 times during his stint as the Prime Minister during 2001-2014. Only the first Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi had the honour of doing this more than Modi. While Nehru did it 17 times, Indira did it 16 times.
