Workers of central vista among special invitees on R-Day celebrations

NEW DELHI: As India will be celebrating its 74th Republic Day, workers of the Central Vista redevelopment project and Kartavya Path are among the special invitees to Republic Day celebrations.

A senior Defence Ministry official said that a special effort has been made to accommodate the people who never get a chance to see the Republic Day celebrations. This year again people from all walks of life have been invited to Republic Day celebrations at Kartavya Path.

There will be around 1,000 special invitees that include workers of the Central Vista project, maintenance workers of Kartavya Path, vegetable vendors, rickshaw pullers, small grocery shop owners, milk booth workers and eight teams of school band competition finalists.

People from tribal communities, divyangjans, Veer Gatha winners, Egyptian and Japanese delegations, participants of the Interpol Young Global Police Leaders Programme, children from Delhi government schools and others are also invited to the Republic Day Parade.

Last year, autorickshaw drivers, construction workers, sanitation workers and frontline workers were on the list.

Another official of the Defence Ministry said that due to Covid-19 restrictions, the number of visitors substantially curtailed this year. For the safety of visitors, only double-vaccinated invitees are allowed.

And in the enclosures, guests are requested to maintain 6 feet distance, wear masks and follow other Covid protocols.

In view of the Republic Day celebrations in the national capital, the New Delhi area has been fortified.

It has been brought under a heavy security cover as Delhi Police has intensified patrolling and extra security measures have been put in place at borders in coordination with its counterparts from the neighbouring states to thwart any untoward incident amid a terror alert by intelligence agencies.