The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) will host 210 Panchayat representatives from 28 states and union territories as special guests during the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, in New Delhi on August 15. Accompanied by their spouses and nodal officers, a total of 425 participants will join the festivities.

A formal felicitation programme for these special guests will be held on August 14th 2025 in New Delhi. The occasion will be graced by Union Minister of Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel. Secretary, MoPR, Vivek Bharadwaj, along with other senior officials of the ministry will also be present on the occasion. The theme for this year’s programme, “आत्मनिर्भर पंचायत, विकसित भारत की पहचान”, captures the vision of self-reliant panchayats as a key pillar of developed India. The felicitation ceremony will include the launch of the AI-powered 'SabhaSaar' application and the release of the 16th issue of the Gramoday Sankalp magazine.

This year’s special guests include significant number of women panchayat leaders who have brought visible improvements in their Gram Panchayats like better infrastructure, enhanced public services and inclusive community initiatives. These elected women representatives (EWRs) of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) exemplify the emerging strength of rural leadership, successfully combining their governance responsibilities with forward-looking development approaches across diverse regions of the country. These special guests have achieved significant success in saturating flagship government schemes such as Har Ghar Jal Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin, Mission Indradhanush etc. while also encouraging innovative local initiatives/ solutions at the grassroots.