Youth power and their contributions to national development as well as 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’ will be the theme of this year’s Independence Day celebrations on August 15, the defence ministry said on Monday. At the same time, Defence Secretary RK Singh said the plan to celebrate the success and contribution of youth during the celebrations at the Red Fort “predates” the students’ protest at the Jantar Mantar. “The celebrations this year will also commemorate Yuva Shakti, acknowledging the contribution of young India in building a Viksit Bharat by 2047. “The plan to celebrate the success and contribution of youth at the Independence Day celebrations predates any other event,” he said. It will be sung at the start of the Independence Day celebrations.