The 77th Independence Day was celebrated across states and union territories on Tuesday with colourful events and cultural programmes as some chief ministers announced new development and job schemes, while others counted the achievements of their governments.
But the celebrations were muted in strife-torn Manipur and rain-battered Himachal Pradesh.
Here is a glimpse of the celebrations from states across the country:
Manipur:
Chief Minister N Biren Singh hoisted the flag at the 1st Manipur Rifles parade ground in Imphal and urged all to stop the violence. "Certain misunderstandings, actions of vested interests and foreign plot to de-stabilise the country has led to loss of precious lives and properties and many are living in relief camps," the CM said.
"To err is human so we must learn to forgive and forget," he said.
There was a dawn-to-dusk general strike called by multiple militant outfits in Manipur over the loss of lives and property over the last three months in the ethnic strife. Across rural areas and in major parts of capital Imphal, shops and markets remained closed and streets wore an almost deserted look due to the general strike.
Mizoram: Chief Minister Zoramthanga said the "unfortunate and deplorable" incidents of Manipur have "deeply aggrieved" the entire Mizo society. The chief minister said his government has kept a close watch on the situation in Manipur and taken a number of steps for the safety and security of the Mizos stranded in Imphal. The state government undertook relief and rehabilitation measures for the internally displaced people from Manipur, who have sought shelter in Mizoram, Zoramthanga said.
Himachal Pradesh: The celebrations were low-key in the state with the traditional cultural programmes missing from official and district level functions as the state mourns the deaths and destruction caused by incessant rains.
The official state function was shifted from Manali to Shimla and it was presided over by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who hoisted the tricolour and inspected the parade.
Heavy rains have battered Himachal Pradesh over the past three days, triggering landslides and cloudbursts that blocked several roads and led to house collapse incidents. At least 53 people have died in the incidents.
Chhattisgarh: Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said accused in cases of rape, molestation and other crimes against women and girls will be barred from government jobs in the state. Ahead of the state assembly elections due this year-end, Baghel made as many as 15 announcements in his address during the state-level Independence Day function at the Police Parade ground in Raipur.
He announced the inclusion of Chhattisgarhi language and tribal dialects as subjects in primary classes as well as information on artificial intelligence and machine learning in school curriculum, free bus pick up and drop facilities to government college students and the state 'Sahitya Akademi Samman' award for litterateurs.
Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said if India has to become a "vishwaguru", people will have to live in harmony and should be assured of good education, health facilities and uninterrupted power supply.
Speaking at his government’s Independence Day event at Chhatrasal Stadium in north Delhi, he greeted the people of the national capital as well as the country and paid tribute to freedom fighters, soldiers and achievers in different fields.
Kerala: In his speech after hoisting the national flag, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the unity, secularism and scientific thinking of the people of the state has made it an example and any attempt to subvert these ethos should be nipped in the bud. "Let us make this 77th Independence Day celebration meaningful by pledging to strengthen our freedom, unity, democracy, secularism and scientific thinking," he said in his speech.
Karnataka: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed people from the Sam Manekshaw Parade Ground. he said the people of Karnataka have realised development is possible only if there is peace in society. On his government’s ’Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme, which provides Rs 2,000 per month to the women head of the families, Siddaramaiah said the Direct Benefit Transfer into the accounts of women will commence on August 27. He noted that 1.08 crore women have enrolled themselves under the scheme.
Tamil Nadu: In his Independence Day address, Chief Minister M K Stalin batted for bringing education in the State List of the Constitution from the concurrent lis, saying that only by doing so, qualifying examination like the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) could be completely scrapped. His demand on education came after a teenage medical course aspirant and his father allegedly committed suicide allegedly over NEET-related stress. He urged President Droupadi Murmu to immediately give her assent to a state Bill that seeks to exempt Tamil Nadu from the ambit of the qualifying test.
He announced that approximately 55,000 vacancies would be filled in various government departments. He announced setting up of a separate welfare board to protect the interests of workers of firms such as Ola, Uber, Swiggy and Zomato.
Uttar Pradesh: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath unfurled the national flag at an Independence Day function at the Vidhan Bhavan in Lucknow, and said the people of the country consider 'Mother India' above all, no matter which religion or part of the nation they are from. He also stressed there should be a feeling in everyone that "if I discharge my duties, then my future generation will honour me".
Bihar: Addressing the Independence Day function at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the Mahagathbandhan government will attain its target of providing 20 lakh jobs to its youths by next year. He lambasted the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for not giving special status to Bihar, which, he claimed would have made unimaginable progress had the long-standing demand for it was met.
Rajasthan: At the state-level event at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Stadium, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced his government will connect the Ramgarh Dam in Jaipur with the Isarda Dam in Swai Madhopur under the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) through a state budget of Rs 1250 crore for providing drinking water to Jaipur and Alwar districts. The state government has been demanding a national project status for ERCP from the Centre to meet drinking and irrigation water demand of 13 districts of the state.
West Bengal: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hoisted the national flag and attended a colourful event at the Red Road in the heart of Kolkata, with tableaux showcasing the achievements of various state departments. She called on people to rise above divisions, casting aside differences, for a better and brighter India.
Assam: Hoisting the national flag at an event in Guwahati, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his government will create 'Upa-Jila' (sub-districts) in every assembly constituency for public convenience. He also said the government will take a decision regarding the districts abolished just prior to the start of the delimitation exercise.
He also announced the service of all TET-passed teachers will be regularised soon and availability of faculty members in schools located in difficult and distant locations will be ensured.
Telangana: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday said though the country has made considerable progress post-Independence, the goals set to be achieved by the country were not met. Speaking after hoisting the National Flag at the Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, he said the country is endowed with natural resources and hard-working people, but these are not being utilised properly due to the inefficiency and bankruptcy of ideas of rulers.
Andhra Pradesh: Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said the true meaning of gram swaraj was demonstrated by his government through its initiatives, welfare schemes and reforms in the past four years. In his Independence Day address, the CM said that the state government has implemented programmes in the past four years which were seldom done by any other governments.
Jharkhand: Chief Minister Hemant Soren launched the Rs 15000-crore 'Abua Awas Yojna' to build homes for the needy over the next two years. Hoisting the national flag at Ranchi’s Morabadi Ground, Soren said the government is constantly striving to build a strong state and making attempts to fulfil the promises made by it .
He hit out at the Centre saying that the state did not get necessary assistance for drought. "Although we did not get the expected help from the Central government, the state government tried to provide all possible help to the farmers through Chief Minister Drought Relief Scheme and Jharkhand Agriculture Loan Waiver Scheme. The government is keeping a close vigil on the situation."
Uttarakhand: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the state government will adopt investment-friendly policies to attract investors and set up an authority to revive dying rivers and water bodies.
Making the announcements after unfurling the national flag at the Parade Ground in Dehradun, Dhami said the the state government has also decided to start a ’Jachcha-Bachcha Suraksha Yojana’ under which women in labour in remote areas will get the facility of getting airlifted for immediate medical care.
Punjab: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Tuesday said a blueprint is ready for dealing a severe blow to the menace of drugs in order to make Punjab a drug-free state by the next Independence Day. Addressing a gathering after unfurling a national flag at a state-level function, he said Punjabis are born leaders and they cannot lag behind in any field but the need of the hour is to channelise their unbounded energy for which the state government is making concerted efforts.
Haryana: Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar called upon people to forget all kinds of social, religious and communal differences and maintain mutual harmony and brotherhood. He expressed confidence in the people of Haryana to make the state surpass all other states in terms of development by 2047.
Tripura: Chief Minister Manik Saha said his government has been working for the overall development of the state and aims at achieving 8 per cent growth in the current financial year. The BJP-IPFT government, in its budget for the 2023-24 fiscal, laid emphasis on all fronts ranging from health, infrastructure building and education to farmers’ welfare, he said during the Independence Day celebration at Assam Rifles ground here.
Nagaland: Nagaland celebrated the 77th Independence Day with a call for all Naga political groups, other stakeholders and the Centre, to exhibit a greater sense of urgency for bringing consensus on the unresolved Naga issue. The main Independence Day function was held at the Secretariat Plaza where Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio hoisted the National Flag.
"We remain deeply committed to the early solution of the Naga Political issue, which has always been at the top of my government’s agenda," said Rio while reassuring of his government making every possible effort to this cause.
Arunachal Pradesh: Hoisting the national tricolour on the occasion at Indira Gandhi Park in Itanagar, Chief Minister Pema Khandu called upon the people of the border state to write the next chapter of the state’s glorious story with wisdom, compassion and courage so that the future generations will read it with pride.
"Every endeavour, every initiative and every stride of the government over those seven years has been to realise the vision of a vibrant Arunachal under the tenets of 'seva, sushashan and sammridhi'. The ethos of the government and Team Arunachal is crystallized in our citizen-centric and development policies," he said.
Madhya Pradesh: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a new housing scheme for the poor and said a target has been set to double the per capita income by 2030. Addressing a state-level Independence Day programme at the Lal Parade ground in Bhopal after hoisting the national flag, Chouhan said the size of Madhya Pradesh’s economy will be expanded to Rs 45 lakh crore by 2030 and efforts will be made to double the per capita income to Rs 2.80 lakh in the next seven years from Rs 1.40 lakh now.
The CM announced that 25,000 posts of teachers will be filled soon in the poll-bound state.
Maharashtra: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has removed the "pest of corruption". The CM hoisted the national flag at the state secretariat Mantralaya in Mumbai on the occasion of the Independence Day. He later also hoisted the tricolour at his official residence 'Varsha' here and at the Bombay High Court.
Gujarat: Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel appealed to people to take the pledge to turn the 'Amrit Kaal' into 'Kartavya Kaal' and make India self-reliant and a developed country by 2047. Patel hoisted the national flag at a state-level event in Valsad district of south Gujarat.
"India’s journey of development has entered the phase of 'Amrit Kaal'. Let us all pledge to turn 'Amrit Kaal' into 'Kartavya Kaal' and make India a self-reliant and developed country by 2047, and realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledge to uproot the mentality of colonialism," Patel said.
Odisha: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday called upon the people of the state to cooperate and support the state government’s endeavour for inclusive growth of all sections of the society. Addressing the people after hoisting the National Flag at the Exhibition Ground in Bhubaneswar, he said the state is now progressing taking all sections of the people like the poor, farmers, women, tribals, artists and youths.
