Sarpanches of vibrant villages, farmers, fishermen invited to attend I-Day celebrations

New Delhi, Aug 11: Around 1,800 special guests from all over India will be attending the Independence Day Flag hoisting by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Red Fort.

As India completes 75 years of Independence this year, sarpanches from vibrant villages, teachers, nurses, farmers, fishermen, shram yogis who helped build the Central Vista project in New Delhi, khadi sector workers, national award-winning school teachers, border roads organisation workers and those who helped and worked for the Amrit Sarovar projects and Har Ghar Jal Yojana Projects, implemented in various parts of the country, have been invited along with their spouse to attend the Independence Day celebrations in New Delhi this year, Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said in a release on Friday.

Two beneficiaries of ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme’ (PM-KISAN), from the state of Maharashtra, will witness the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort. Fifty (50) beneficiaries of the scheme, along with their families, are among around 1,800 persons who have been invited to listen to PM Modi’s address. “The initiative to invite people from all walks of life, across India, and be a part of the celebrations has been taken by the government in line with its vision of ‘Jan Bhagidari’,” the ministry’s release said.

Speaking about the invitation, 54-year-old Ashok Sudam Ghule from Dhekalwadi, Baramati in Pune district said, as per the release, “I never thought I will ever be able to go to the Red Fort in New Delhi. Going there on Independence Day is like a dream come true.” Ghule, who is a beneficiary of PM-KISAN, is a sugar cane farmer cultivating on a 1.5-acre piece of land. The other beneficiary, Vijay Gotiram Thakare, from Vaishakhare, Murbad, in Thane district is a traditional rice farmer and also grows vegetables. He is a beneficiary of PM-KISAN since 2019.

PM-KISAN is a Central Sector Scheme, that aims at providing financial assistance to all cultivable landholding farmer families across the country, subject to certain exclusion criteria. Under the Scheme, an amount of Rs 6,000 is transferred annually in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 directly into the bank accounts of the farmers.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, Delhi police have stepped up checks, and security measures across the National Capital, police officials said on Friday.