For the first time in Independence Day celebrations, 'Vande Mataram' will be rendered at the Red Fort complex during the 79th anniversary on August 15, followed by the recitation of the National Anthem, marking 150 years of the National Song's legacy.
This year's Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort uniquely featured the national song 'Vande Mataram', marking 150 years of its profound legacy and historical significance in India's freedom struggle.
The Nagaland Baptist Church Council has voiced strong opposition to any directive making the singing of 'Vande Mataram' compulsory, especially for Christians. They argue that patriotism should not be reduced to forced conformity and that India's constitutional values of liberty, pluralism, and freedom of conscience must be respected. The council also called for dialogue and sensitivity from state institutions.
The glass door of coach number C13 of 22303 Vande Bharat Express was damaged in the incident.
Based on closed circuit television camera footage, the Visakhapatnam police nabbed the three youth from the area.
The Congress Working Committee has decided to adhere to its 1937 resolution, mandating that only the first two stanzas of 'Vande Mataram' be sung at all party events, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the BJP, which labelled the Congress the 'new Muslim League'.
Noting that the new trains will connect the culture of Telangana and AP, Modi said Vande Bharat symbolises new India's resolution and capabilities.
Kerala University vice-chancellor Mohanan Kunnummal on Saturday said those who do not say Vande Mataram do not know who their mother is.
This is the third such incident involving this semi-high speed train so far this month.
The Rajya Sabha has passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, making insult to the national song 'Vande Mataram' a criminal offence. The bill, which also covers other national symbols, was passed amidst protests from opposition parties regarding the NEET paper leak. Union Minister Nityanand Rai criticised the opposition's stance, emphasising the song's historical significance and its role in national unity.
Asked about the incident, Railway Protection Force sub-inspector, Manoj Gautam said that the matter is being probed.
At an event at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai, Modi first flagged off the the CSMT-Solapur Vande Bharat Express and later another semi high-speed train linking the financial capital to Sainagar Shirdi temple town in Ahmednagar district.
Sources said the railways is keen to ensure that a purely domestic entity bags the tender and once it was felt that the Chinese JV was a frontrunner for the project, it was scrapped.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor were also present with the PM as he interacted with the students inside the train.
For the first time in history, the national song 'Vande Mataram' will be sung at the Red Fort during Independence Day celebrations on August 15.
Parliament has passed The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, making any insult to the national song Vande Mataram a criminal offence, punishable with imprisonment up to three years or a fine.
The semi-high speed Train 18, which has been recently rechristened Vande Bharat Express, can run up to a maximum speed of 160 kmph and has travel classes like Shatabdi trains but with better facilities. It aims to provide a totally new travel experience to passengers.
Vande Mataram, the national song that has stirred passions and political controversies for more than a century, received legal protection on Thursday with Parliament passing a bill making any insult to it a punishable offence, rekindling the long-running debate over its place in India's history and identity.
During the first phase of the Vande Bharat mission, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express are scheduled to operate a total 64 flights between May 7 and May 14 to bring 14,800 Indians from 12 countries on a payment basis.
The Centre has approved a fourth railway line through the strategically important 'Chicken's Neck' corridor, a crucial link for Northeast India. This, along with other infrastructure projects like a double-line underground project and station redevelopment, aims to enhance connectivity, capacity, and passenger services in the region.
The train has a lot to offer to its passengers: Silent run, fully-sealed gangway connecting two coaches, GPS-based passenger information system, modular bio-vacuum and disabled-friendly toilets, intelligent air conditioning that adjusts cooling according to the climate and closed-circuit television for safety.
Modi accused previous governments of not providing people with facilities that were available to people elsewhere in the world even in the 20th century and in Gujarat a few years back.
Though bids for 43 Train 18 sets were invited first, orders for only three were given, including one for Spanish major CAF and Medha Group that supplied for the first Vande Bharat train.
The incident had happened in Bihar when the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri semi-high-speed train was passing through that state on January 3.
On Thursday, 4 buffaloes were killed after being hit by the train.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag off the train soon, which will ply between Delhi and his Lok Sabha constituency.
The collision caused a minor dent to the train's front panel.
Rameswaram temple elephant enjoys refreshing pool bath amid intense summer heat.
Experts suggest that a revamp in the surrounding infrastructure should take care of the issues plaguing the VB-2, stressing that the lightweight nature of the trains is what allows for higher speeds, and that needless design additions may hamper the train's efficiency.
The question for the next 20 years is not whether India can become a $5 trillion or $10 trillion economy. Those are attractive targets, but the real question is whether India can create enough productive jobs, educate its children properly, make its cities liveable, and give hundreds of millions of people a substantially better life, asserts Ramesh Menon.
On August 15 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort that the Indian Railways would launch 75 Vande Bharat Express trains by August 2023. Later, in her 2022 Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that 400 Vande Bharat trains will be manufactured in the next three years, which are expected to cost between Rs 40,000 crore and Rs 50,000 crore. Those upbeat announcements come after a series of cancelled tenders, vigilance actions against officials and interdepartmental rivalry that delayed the addition of these iconic trains developed entirely indigenously by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.
The Railway Board and employees at Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, makers of the train, are at loggerheads over the proposed transfer of design and reassigning the manufacturing of Train 18 to Modern Coach Factory in Raebareli.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his 80th Independence Day address, expressed strong confidence that India will achieve developed nation status by 2047, urging citizens to embrace big dreams and unwavering resolve to realise 'Viksit Bharat'. He highlighted India's economic transformation and significant growth in various sectors, including defence production, electronic manufacturing, and mobile phone production.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has questioned the necessity of playing all five verses of Vande Mataram at the beginning and end of official events, calling the practice "unnecessary and burdensome". He highlighted the practical difficulties and lack of legal basis for mandating the full version at every function.
Several trains under the purview of SER and ECoR were cancelled or diverted on Wednesday, including the premium Rajdhani Express and Vande Bharat Express, owing to the blockade by members of the Kurmi community in Jharkhand and Odisha, officials said.
Swarupa Dutt's 10 takeaways on her first time on a Vande Bharat train.
The Indian government has expanded its Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan by signing agreements with four spiritual organisations. These partnerships aim to enhance grassroots awareness, prevention, recovery, and social mobilisation efforts against substance abuse, leveraging the extensive reach of these groups.
'As it happens in any society, when progress happens, hate also comes out.' 'There is always a bit of a risk and possibility of rejection, particularly by an orthodox section of society.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon citizens to celebrate Independence Day with honour and pride, urging them to take a pledge for a developed India. This appeal comes amidst parliamentary sessions marked by protests from both ruling and opposition alliances.
Sardar 2 has the interesting spy games, but too many convenient shortcuts and a tedious runtime leave this sequel struggling to match the crisp, engaging original, argues Sreeju Sudhakaran.
