Independence Day 2025 LIVE updates: PM Modi extends wishes ahead of Red Fort address, shares ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision

INdependence daytime 2025 unrecorded updates: undercoat government minister Narendra Modi testament hoist the national flag at the Red Fort in New Delhi and deliver his 12th consecutive address to the nation on the 79th Independence Day. Preparations are underway at the Red Fort ahead of the PM's address. The theme for this year is ‘Naya Bharat’. The Independence Day event this year will also celebrate the success of Operation Sindoor.Senior military officers who were involved in the planning and execution of Operation Sindoor, India's military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, were honoured on the eve of the 79th Independence Day.Nine pilots from the Indian Air Force (IAF) who were involved in the precision strikes on terror infrastructure and military installations in Pakistan were conferred the Vir Chakra. Four Indian Army personnel were also conferred the Vir Chakra for their roles in Operation Sindoor. IAF personnel who were manning the S-400 air defence systems during the May 7-10 military conflict were also conferred awards.Meanwhile, 23 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were awarded gallantry medals on the eve of the 79th Independence Day. Among them, Constables Saddam Hussain, Feda Hussain Dar and Sanjay Tiwari were decorated with the Shaurya Chakra, which is the third-highest peacetime defence gallantry medal in India.CRPF, which is the country's largest paramilitary force, received the highest gallantry awards among the Central Armed Police Forces.Preparations for the celebration of the 79th Independence Day in the national capital are in full swing. The Delhi Police have issued a traffic advisory that will be in place from 4 am to 10 am. Traffic on several key routes will be restricted or diverted on Friday.Several roads around Red Fort will be closed to general traffic tomorrow, inlcluding Netaji Subhash Marg from Delhi Gate to Chatta Rail, Lothian Road from GPO Delhi to Chatta Rail, and SP Mukherjee Marg from HC Sen Marg to Yamuna Bazar Chowk.Security has also been beefed up across the city to ensure that the Independence Day celebrations are conducted smoothly. Snipers will be deployed at high-rise buildings, heightened camera surveillance across the city and more than 11,000 security personnel and 3,000 traffic police for security in and around the Red Fort, reported PTI.President Droupadi Murmu addressed the nation on the eve of Independence Day on Thursday and condemned the "cowardly and utterly inhuman" terror attack in Pahalgam that happened on April 22. She also lauded the armed forces for demonstrating "strategic clarity and technical capability" by destroying terrorist infrastructure across the border.