CM Vijay to Hoist National Flag at Fort St George on 80th Independence Day

Arrangements have been finalised at the historic Fort St George in Chennai for the 80th Independence Day celebrations on Saturday, where Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will hoist the national flag at 8:45 am and deliver his Independence Day address.

The event marks Vijay's first Independence Day celebration as Chief Minister. During the ceremony, he will present several major state honours and police medals to distinguished personnel. Chief Secretary M Sai Kumar will preside over the event and introduce dignitaries, including the three top commanders of the defense forces posted in Tamil Nadu.

A total of 15 medals have been announced for police personnel. The Chief Minister’s Police Medal for Excellence in Investigation will be presented to 10 police officials, eight of whom are women: C Jaishree, N Tamilarasi, K Alaaguraj, N Thanshiya, S Latha, V Gomathi, M Chithra, R Vinatha, G Mahalakshmi, and S Vijayakumar.

Five other officials have been selected for the Police Medal for Excellence in Public Service. They include IPS officers V Sasi Mohan and D Shanmuga Priya, along with C M R Manimozhiyan, K Madan Kumar, and M Ravikumar. Each award recipient will receive a gold medal weighing eight grams and a cash reward of Rs 25,000.

In addition to the police medals, the Chief Minister will confer several other state awards at the Fort St George event. These include the Thagaisal Tamilar Award, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Award, Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise, Chief Minister’s Best Practices Award, Avvaiyar Award, and the State Youth Award.

The customary Independence Day tea party will not take place at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai on Saturday. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, who serves as the Governor of Kerala and holds additional charge of Tamil Nadu, will be presiding over celebrations at the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Bhavan. In his Independence message, Arlekar urged the public, especially youth, to dedicate themselves to nation building and work toward creating a stronger and more prosperous India.

Security has been heightened across Chennai, particularly in the vicinity of Fort St George, as authorities anticipate a large gathering to witness the Chief Minister hoist the tricolour at the ramparts and deliver his address.