The tricolour rose over the Chief Minister's residence in Dehradun on Saturday, 15 August 2026, as Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami led the state's 80th Independence Day flag-hoisting ceremony — opening with a collective rendition of Vande Mataram before administering the pledge of national unity to assembled officials and staff.

The ceremony at the Chief Minister's residence

Before unfurling the national flag, CM Dhami joined officers and employees in singing Vande Mataram — a detail the Chief Minister's Office highlighted as a deliberate act of collective patriotism. He then administered the national unity pledge to everyone present, framing the occasion not merely as a calendar ritual but as a renewal of civic commitment.

Dhami paid tribute to freedom fighters who 'sacrificed everything' for independence and to soldiers who gave their lives defending the nation, urging citizens to keep their memory alive through dedicated work in their own fields.

Viksit Bharat and Dhami's alignment with Modi's 2047 vision

Prime Minister Narendra Modi first publicly outlined the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision — the goal of a fully developed India by the centenary of independence — during his own Independence Day addresses from 2022–23 onward. State chief ministers across the country have since woven the framework into their own ceremonial speeches, and Dhami's address followed that pattern closely.

Dhami said India is 'moving rapidly forward under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership' toward the dream of a strong, prosperous, and self-reliant nation that the country's martyrs envisioned. Every citizen, he added, must contribute 'with full dedication and commitment' in their own sphere of work. Collective effort and public participation, he argued, are the only route to new heights of development.

Uttarakhand's own promise: balanced growth for every region and class

Dhami turned the address inward, pledging that the Uttarakhand state government is working 'with full commitment' toward comprehensive, balanced, and sustainable development of the state. The explicit goal: ensuring that the benefits of development reach 'every region and every section' of Uttarakhand — a pointed acknowledgement of the state's historically uneven development between its hill districts and plains.

He closed with a call to make Uttarakhand the country's 'best state' through the cooperation and participation of all — a line that doubles as both aspiration and political benchmark ahead of future electoral cycles.

Independence Day, Dhami said, 'reminds us of our duties toward the nation.' The flag has been hoisted. The pledge has been taken. Now comes the harder part.