85 panchayat heads from 26 states and UTs invited to I-Day celebrations at Red Fort as special guests

On the 79th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hoist the national flag at the Red Fort on Friday and deliver a speech to the nation in accordance with the parliamentary tradition. As special guests, 85 village panchayat heads from 26 states and Union Territories (UTs) have been invited in recognition of their significant contributions to rural development.

The government aims to recognise individuals who have transformed villages through their efforts. According to officials from the Ministry of Water Resources, the initiative seeks to acknowledge village heads for achievements in sanitation, access to clean drinking water, women’s empowerment, and robust administrative systems. All of these elected panchayats have been declared ODF Plus under the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ (Rural), while villages designated as having ‘water for every household’ fall under the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’.

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Sources in the ministry noted that among the invitees for Independence Day is Prema Devi, head of the Motipur village panchayat in Samastipur, Bihar, whose leadership has transformed the village into a national model for waste-to-energy and water management. Also on the list is Kusum Singh from the Rarah village panchayat in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.

On the other hand, Shashikant Bhupendravbhai Patel, the panchayat head of Sultanpur in Gujarat, has emerged as a model for environmental development. Under his leadership, the panchayat passed a proposal to replace plastic bags with cloth bags. and constructed a community toilet equipped with Braille signage — a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state.

According to sources in the ministry, the village panchayat of Dumala in Nigve, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, has achieved near-complete sanitation coverage under the leadership of Deepali Uttam Chougule through the segregation and recycling of solid waste. She has also been invited to the Independence Day celebrations. Government sources said the invitation extended to these panchayat leaders symbolises the progress of rural India, with the aim of showcasing an improved rural landscape during the Independence Day event. Ahead of August 15, a campaign has been launched to encourage the display of the national flag in every household and to promote cleanliness. The government believes the initiative will foster a stronger commitment among rural families to meet standards in drinking water, sanitation, and health.