Independence Day 2023: 1800 people invited as special guests, selfie points installed

Digital Desk: On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the nation in celebrating the 77th Independence Day from Delhi's renowned Red Fort. Around 1,800 individuals were invited as distinguished guests to the celebrations, including spouses from a variety of professions.

These special guests include over 400 sarpanches of more than 660 villages; 250 from Farmer Producer Organisations' scheme; 50 participants each of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana; 50 Shram Yogis (construction workers) of the Central Vista Project, including the new Parliament building; 50 each Khadi workers, those involved in construction of border roads, making of Amrit Sarovar and Har Ghar Jal Yojana as well as 50 each primary school teachers, nurses and fishermen.

Some of these notable guests have a meeting with Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt and plans to visit the National War Memorial while in Delhi. A statement from the Ministry of Defence stated that the project was undertaken by the Government's goal of Jan Bhagidari.

The event will be seen by up to 75 couples from each state and Union Territory (UT), who will be dressed traditionally. PM Modi will raise the flag for the country and address the people from the walls of the historical site during the celebrations.

Selfie points have been installed at 12 locations, including the National War Memorial, India Gate, Vijay Chowk, New Delhi Railway Station, Pragati Maidan, Raj Ghat, Jama Masjid Metro Station, Rajiv Chowk Metro Station, Delhi Gate Metro Station, ITO Metro Gate, Naubat Khana, and Sheesh Ganj Gurdwara. They are all dedicated to various government programmes and initiatives.

According to the press release, the programs/schemes include Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission, Digital India, Skill India, Start-up India, Swachh Bharat, Sashakt Bharat, and Naya Bharat. Global Hope: Vaccine and Yoga, Ujjwala Yojana, Space Power, and Swachh Bharat are also included.

The Ministry of Defence will hold a selfie contest on the MyGov website from August 15 to August 20 as a part of the festivities. To participate in the contest, people are urged to take selfies at one or more of the 12 installations and post them on the MyGov portal.

Twelve winners—one from each installation—will be selected based on the results of the online selfie contest. The statement also stated that each prize winner will get Rs 10,000.