NEW DELHI, 16 August 2007 — India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led a triumphant nation in celebrating the 60th anniversary of independence by hoisting the tricolor at the historic Red Fort in Delhi yesterday.

Barring a few minor incidents in the restive northeast, the celebrations passed off peacefully.

In a speech from the ramparts of the Mogul-built Red Fort Manmohan said democracy was India’s greatest achievement but warned of tough challenges ahead for the country.

He said India, facing insurgencies from disputed Kashmir to the troubled state of Assam, would deliver strong action against “hatred and extremism” in the nation.

“The success of a secular democracy in a nation of a billion people with such diversity is viewed with admiration,” he said. “The best is yet to come,” Manmohan predicted, riding a wave of optimism that India is on the threshold of becoming a superpower.

“However, we must not be over-confident,” he said. “We have a long a march ahead.” He urged Indians to unite against “anti-democratic, anti-social and anti-national forces.”

Helicopters patrolled the skies and sharpshooters were posted on rooftops of nearby buildings as the prime minister unfurled the national flag.

Thousands of school children sang patriotic songs to mark the occasion, attended by several of Manmohan’s Cabinet ministers.

The prime minister promised fresh investment of 250 billion rupees ($6.2 billion) in agriculture, which still employs more than half of India’s population, and said he wanted a “revolution in modern education” in a country where one in three people are illiterate. “The problem of malnutrition is a national shame,” he added. “I appeal to the nation to resolve and work hard to eradicate malnutrition within five years.” He also pledged new cash for education, health care and rural development, saying it was in line with his government commitment “to the welfare of the common man.”

Some of the prime minister’s views were echoed by young urban Indians in an opinion poll for The Hindustan Times.

Some 52 percent of the 1,247 respondents between the ages of 16-25 said they were proud of India’s democracy.

“Young and rocking — this is the popular image of India as it begins celebrating its 60th birthday as a free nation,” the daily said in an editorial.

The Times of India splashed on its front page that India was “60 and getting sexier.” “There’s plenty to look forward to. The next 60 years hopefully will be better than the last,” the daily said. The anniversary was marked by tight security with aircraft, combat troops and tens of thousands of security forces deployed after threats by Al-Qaeda and separatist rebels.

In the capital, some 70,000 police and paramilitary troops were on duty.

Across India, state chief ministers in their Independence Day speeches announced a slew of measures ranging from populist “atta dal” (wheat and pulses) schemes to 20-point plans for development.

In troubled Kashmir, a strike called by the state’s separatist alliance cleared the streets of the summer capital Srinagar and shut all shops and businesses.

Kashmiri militants mark independence as a “black day.” Manmohan said a special effort was needed to bring prosperity to less developed regions like the northeast and Kashmir. In Srinagar, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad took salute at an impressive parade where contingents of the police, paramilitary, home guards and schoolchildren marched past the podium. Azad urged militants to shun violence “for peace and prosperity” in the Himalayan state.

Four explosions rocked northeastern Assam state yesterday, police said but no one was reported hurt. A wave of separatist attacks in Assam has left 36 people dead in the past week.

In their Independence Day addresses, the chief ministers of Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura appealed to rebel groups to come for peace talks with the government.

In Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal yesterday launched the much-awaited “atta-dal” scheme for the poor during Independence Day celebrations in Ludhiana.

In Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy announced a 20-point program for the overall development of the state and to eradicate poverty.

The Maharashtra government announced two ambitious schemes aimed at providing medical services to rural areas and making villages dispute free.

In Bihar, with 15 million people displaced and at least 200 dead in floods, it was a solemn Independence Day and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took care to focus on the disaster in his address to the people as he promised to look for a permanent solution.

In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati marked the Independence Day by giving away three new awards instituted for policemen.

In parts of eastern India, celebrations were canceled because of threats from Maoist rebels, who hoisted black flags in protest.