1,800 people invited as 'special guests', 75 couples in traditional attire to attend I-Day event at Red Fort

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort on August 15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the nation in marking the occasion.

Besides, 75 couples from each state and Union Territory, in their traditional attire, have been invited to witness the ceremony, the defence ministry said in a statement on Sunday. As part of the celebrations, selfie points dedicated to different government schemes and initiatives have been installed at 12 locations, including the National War Memorial, India Gate and Vijay Chowk, it said.

Around 1,800 people from different vocations, with their spouses, have been invited as special guests from across the country to be a part of the celebrations at the Red Fort. A larger number of guests have been invited compared to last year.

The invitation to the about 1,800 special guests has been extended in line with the government's vision of 'Jan Bhagidari', the ministry said. These special guests include over 400 sarpanches of more than 660 vibrant villages; 250 from the farmer-producer organisations scheme; 50 participants each of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana; 50 'shram yogis (construction workers)' of the Central Vista project, including the new Parliament building; 50 khadi workers, those involved in construction of border roads, making of Amrit Sarovars and Har Ghar Jal Yojana each, as well as 50 primary school teachers, nurses and fisherfolk each.

Some of these special guests are scheduled to visit the National War Memorial and call on Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt as part of their stay in Delhi, the statement said. This year's Independence Day will also see the culmination of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', launched from the