'Made in India' ALH Dhruv choppers to shower petals at Independence Day event

On August 15, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his tenth consecutive speech, two ‘Made in India’ ALH Dhruv choppers will be utilised for the first time to scatter petals during the main Independence Day event at the Red Fort. Beginning in 2021, when Russian-made Mi-17 V5s were introduced, petals were thrown onto the location of the main Independence Day celebration near the Red Fort. “This year, two ALH Dhruv choppers would be used for the showering petals after the Prime Minister hoists the flag at the Red Fort,” defence officials told the media. The HAL helicopters are a notable accomplishment of the defence public sector organisation, which was praised by the prime minister in his response to the motion of no confidence on Thursday. The choppers in the Amrut formation, which have received enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience in the previous two events, will scatter the petals. After the participants, which will include 1800 special guests, are showered with petals, the prime minister will honour them with a speech. “Nearly 1,800 special guests drawn from various walks of life from all over the country will be part of Independence Day celebrations in the Capital,” defence ministry spokesperson A Bharat Bhushan Babu tweeted. (With agency inputs)