PM to unfurl tricolour at Red Fort to celebrate I-Day on Sunday

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will unfurl the national tricolour on the ramparts of the historic Red Fort and then address the nation from there on the occasion of the country's 64th Indpendence Day tomorrow.

Children in tricolor formation at the full dress rehearsal of the 64th Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort, in Delhi on August 13, 2010.

This is the seventh straight year that Dr Singh will hoist the flag at the Red Fort. He is now India's third longest serving Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

According to the schedule for the ceremony, Dr Singh will be received, on arrival at the Lahore Gate of Red Fort, by Defence Minister A K Antony, Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar.

The Defence Secretary will introduce General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area, Major General Manvender Singh to the Prime Minister. The GOC Delhi Area will then conduct the Prime Minister to the Saluting Base where a combined inter-services and police guard will present him a general salute. Thereafter, Dr. Manmohan Singh will inspect the guard of honour.

The Guard of Honour contingent for the Prime Minister will consist of one officer and 24 men each from Army, Navy, Air Force and 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 Air Force being the coordinating agency, the Guard of Honour will be commanded by Wg Cdr P Panda. The Army contingent will be commanded by Maj Anindya Chatterjee, Naval Contingent by Lt Cdr D K Shrikantha and Delhi Police contingent by Assistant Commissioner of Police Romil Baniya.

The Army contingent for the Prime Minister's Guard is from 15th Battalion of the Jammu & Kashmir Rifles. It is presently the ceremonial battalion of the Indian Army, deployed in Rashtrapati Bhawan, India Gate and other important places in the capital. The Army Contingent is led by Maj Anindya Chatterjee.

After inspecting the Guard of Honour, the Prime Minister will proceed to the ramparts where he will be greeted by Defence Minister, the Minister of State for Defence, Chief of Army Staff General V K Singh, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik. The GOC Delhi area will conduct the Prime Minister to the dais to unfurl the National Flag.

The unfurling of the tri-colour will synchronize with the 21 gun salute fired by the valiant gunners of the elite 299 Field Regiment. The battery will be commanded by Lt Col Hemant Kumar Sah and the Gun Position Officer will be Sub (AIG) Gurappadu R.

The National Flag Guard comprising 32 men and one officer each from Army, Navy Air Force and Delhi Police will present Rashtriya Salute at the time of unfurling of the National Flag by the Prime Minister. Wing Commander J Christopher will command the Guards. The Naval Contingent for National Flag Guard will be commanded by Lt Cdr Amit Sood, the Army contingent by Captain Vikram Singh and Delhi Police contingent by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police B Shanker Jaiswal.

The Air Force Band Number 6 will play National Anthem when the National Guard presents "Rashtriya Salute" while the National Flag is unfurled by the Prime Minister.

The Air Force Band will be commanded by Warrant Officer P N Yadav. Two Air Force Officers, Flying Officer A Vashishtha and Flying Officer Pankaj Gupta will be positioned on either side of the saluting dais for the Prime Minister for aides-de-camp (AsDC) duties. Flt Lt Neha Chauhan will assist the Prime Minister in unfurling of the National Flag.

The Army contingent for National Flag Guard is from the 2nd Battalion of the Rajput Regiment, which was raised on November 30, 1798 at Badgaon. The Rajput Regiment comprises of two officers and 32 OR and is led Capt Vikram Singh.

After unfurling the National Flag, the Prime Minister will address the nation. After the Prime Minister’s address, school children and National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets will sing the National Anthem.

About seven hundred Junior Division Cadets of the NCC from Delhi Directorate comprising Army, Navy and Air Force wings are participating in the flag hoisting ceremony this year. They will also participate in the singing of patriotic songs along with school children. Three thousand five hundred girl students from 39 government and government-aided schools under the Directorate of Education, National Capital Territory of Delhi will sing the National Anthem. They will also sing patriotic songs in different regional languages before the start of the ceremony. These children dressed up in red, saffron, green and white colour will re-create the image of Red Fort and the National Flag.

NNN