While speculations are abuzz about foreign heads who will be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi for a third time, loco pilots, transpersons and daily wagers have also been extended invite for the grand event on Sunday evening.
Preparations are in full swing for the oath-taking ceremony and the ceremony will take place at 7.15pm at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday.
According to reports, over 8,000 invitees are expected to attend the event on Sunday. However, besides foreign leaders, the guest list also includes loco pilots, sanitary workers, daily wagers and people from other walks of life.
Surekha Yadav, Asia’s first female loco pilot will be attending the oath ceremony. She is one among the 10 loco pilots who have been invited for the third consecutive National Democratic Alliance regime.
Yadav, who is piloting the Vande Bharat train from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Solapur, is among ten loco pilots invited for the ceremony slated to be held on June 9 in New Delhi. Hailing from Satara in the western Maharashtra region, Yadav became India's first female train driver in 1988. She has won many awards at the state and national levels so far for her achievements. She is the first woman loco pilot of the semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express plying between Solapur and CSMT in Mumbai.
Aiswarya S. Menon, a senior assistant loco pilot of the Chennai Division of Southern Railway, currently working on Vande Bharat trains, is also one of the invitees to the event, NDTV reported.
Reports suggest to ensure a representation of persons from all strata of society, invites have been extended to sanitary workers and construction workers who were involved in building the new Parliament. Transpersons who benefited from the Modi government’s schemes have also been invited.
Top leaders of neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, President of Seychelles Wavel Ramkalawan, Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck are expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Modi.
The guest list of foreign leaders was primarily guided by India's 'Neighbourhood First Policy' and its strategic focus on island nations considered important in the Indian Ocean region.
-with inputs from agencies.
