Independence Day 2023: Centre has invited these ‘special guests’ at Red Fort

As India gears up for the Independence Day celebrations, a list of “special guests” that the government has sent invitations for the event at the Red Fort, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hoist the tricolour and address the nation on Tuesday has been released. Among the 1800 of them, there are people from “different walks of life” from across India, who have played an important role in the development of the country. The initiative to invite these people to be a part of the celebrations is in line with the government’s “Jan Bhagidari Programme”.

The invitees this year encompass a wide range of individuals. It includes sarpanches from ‘Vibrant Villages’, teachers, nurses, farmers, fishermen, labourers who contributed to the construction of the Central Vista Project in New Delhi, workers in the khadi (handspun cloth) sector, school teachers who have won national awards, employees of the Border Roads Organisation, and those who have been involved in the ‘Amrit Sarovar’ and ‘Har Ghar Jal Yojana’ projects implemented in various parts of the country.

The Vibrant Villages Programme aims to improve the living standards of residents in from the villages near the country’s border areas. The initiative seeks to encourage people to stay in these villages, reversing the trend of outmigration, and consequently enhancing border security.

Around 50 people who are part of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme (PM-KISAN) and their families, are among roughly 1,800 individuals who have received invitations to attend PM Modi’s speech on Independence Day, a government release from the agriculture ministry said.

From the state of Maharashtra, two beneficiaries of the scheme have been chosen to witness the Independence Day festivities at the historic Red Fort.

Ashok Sudam Ghule, 54, farmer from Pune district, said, “I never imagined I’d get the chance to visit New Delhi’s Red Fort. Being there on Independence Day feels like a dream fulfilled.” Ghule, who benefits from the PM-KISAN scheme, is a sugarcane farmer with a 1.5-acre piece of land.

The PM-KISAN scheme is a programme by the Central Government. Its purpose is to provide financial help to farmer families across the country who own cultivable land, with some exceptions. Under this initiative, an annual amount of ₹6,000 is given in three equal parts of ₹2,000 directly into the farmers’ bank accounts linked with Aadhaar.

Among the special guests who have received invitations for the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort in the national capital, there are “three nurses” from the state of Haryana. A total of 50 nurses will witness the event on Tuesday.

Savita Rani, who works as a Nursing Officer in the Blood Bank of Badshah Khan Civil Hospital in Faridabad, said she feels privileged to have received the invitation and that her family and hospital staff are also feeling happy.

According to DD News, Savita Rani performed “outstanding work” during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic that affected global nations, including India, and resulted in many people succumbing to the deadly virus. For this, Rani has also been felicitated by President Droupadi Murmu on Nursing Day (May 12).