Over 5 crore selfies with Indian flag uploaded on Har Ghar Tiranga website: Culture Ministry

More than five crore selfies with the Indian flag have been uploaded on the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign website so far, the Culture Ministry said on Monday and termed it a "stupendous achievement."

Grand celebrations were held at the Red Fort by the government to mark the 76th Independence Day as part of the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' with Prime Minister Narendra Modi sharing the roadmap for the next 25 years -- 'Amrit Kaal', it said.

The prime minister had given a call on July 22 to join the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' movement by hoisting or displaying the national flag at homes.

The Culture Ministry, the nodal agency for the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' had also appealed to people upload selfies or photographs with 'Tiranga' on the campaign's website.

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"In a stupendous achievement, more than five crore 'Tiranga' selfies have been uploaded on the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' website," the ministry said in a statement.

As India embarks on it's 76th year of Independence, wrapping up the 75 week countdown to August 15, 2022 was the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' initiative of the government driven by the nodal ministry for 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' -- the Ministry of Culture, the statement said.

The achievement of five crore 'Tiranga' selfies has been achieved this afternoon at around 4 pm, thanks to the participation of everyone across India and the world celebrating this special moment in India's history, it said.

The commemoration of 75 years of India's Independence started on March 12, 2021 as a 75-week countdown to August 15, 2022 and will continue till August 15, 2023, it said.

The initiative dedicated to fostering deeper personal connect with the Indian tricolour requested Indians everywhere to display the flag at home or their place of work as a commitment to the cause of nation building during 'Amrit Kaal' -- 25 years from now to 2047) , the statement said.

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The programme conceived in a hybrid format envisaged a physical and emotional connect with the flag itself in the personal context and also envisaged a collective celebration and amplification of patriotic fervour through the act of uploading a selfie on the special website -- www.harghartiranga.com --created for this initiative, it said.

In his Independence Day speech, PM Modi said in the last few days, the country has seen and experienced a new force, a "renaissance of collective consciousness" and the revival of this collective consciousness is the biggest treasure of the country and is like nectar that emerged through the years of the struggle for freedom, the statement said.

Reflecting on this milestone, Union Minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy said, "Five crore 'Tiranga' selfies reflect the collective commitment of duty-bound Indians to keep the nation first and always first.

"Thank you, India. This is indeed a special moment of outpouring of the collective expressions of love and connect for the motherland. I wish everyone a very Happy Independence Day!"