Celebrities, achievers to be 'Special Invited Guests' at next Republic Day parade

NEW DELHI: Months ahead of the next Republic Day parade, the government has started an extensive exercise to prepare a list of “Special Invited Guests” of national and international celebrities and achievers from the fields such as art, culture, theatre, science, sports and military to attend the grand parade.
In May this year, the defence ministry had sent letters to government departments to provide names and contact details of the persons from their respective sectors whom they would like to recommend for inviting for the parade. They were asked to indicate the special contribution and achievement of the persons in “few lines”.
The guests will get a “personal invitation” for two and will be provided “assured seating in a befitting enclosure”, the letter said. Sources said June 15 was the deadline for sending the names so that the necessary preparations can be made.
The government has put the revamp of Rajpath on fast-track to ensure the project gets completed by November. This is the first project in the entire Central Vista redevelopment plan that will be completed when India celebrates the 75 years of Independence. Recently, Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said the redevelopment of Rajpath will be completed in time and “Citizens will get an avenue they will be proud of.”
The Rajpath redevelopment project involves large-scale stonework, construction of underpasses, underground amenities blocks and horticulture work and sufficient space for parking. Twelve bridges on the artificial canals are being built, which are expected to be selfie points for visitors.
The government has maintained that there will be more public space and increase in the green cover after the project gets completed.