New Delhi: In a remarkable move to applaud and appreciate their outstanding contributions, about 250 ASHA workers have been invited along with their respective spouses as ‘special guests’ for the Republic Day celebrations at the Kartavya Path on January 26.
ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers, hailing from various states are among the 10,000 invitees this year, will witness the Republic Day ceremony on January 26.
The Union Health Ministry also hosted an event on Saturday, ahead of Republic Day celebrations and applauded their contributions to society, stating: “ASHAs are the backbone of health schemes in the country.”
The ASHA workers are blown away with such a remarkable gesture and reception from the government.
Speaking to IANS, many of them shared how exhilarated and thrilled they are, on attending their first ever R-Day parade.
Seema, an ASHA worker from Rajasthan, said: “I feel very proud that I along with my spouse have been invited as the chief guest for R-Day Parade. It’s a validation of our consistent efforts towards reducing infant mortality and making India a TB-free country.”
Rajbala, an ASHA worker from Aligarh, said: “I express my gratitude to the Central government for extending such an invitation. I am very happy that this time I will watch the parade from the front. Till now I have been watching the parade on TV.”
Ruby from Sonipat, brimming with excitement, remarked: “We are here for the first time. We feel very good. We have been invited by the Central government as the chief guest. I have come with my husband to watch the parade.”
Jaya Devi, a Delhi-based ASHA worker, said that she never thought of receiving an invitation despite living in the national capital.
“It came as a big surprise, but certainly we will go to watch the Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path,” she said.
Laxmi Devi, an ASHA worker from Gurugram, said: “We are very happy to come here. I am very happy that ASHA workers have come here from different states of the country. All this has become possible because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Suman from Haryana’s Bahadurgarh said: “Our dream has come true today. We would like to congratulate everyone and especially want to express gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Sangita, another Asha volunteer from Bahadurgarh, said: “We are very happy that we have been invited as the chief guest in Republic Day parade, this year. We thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister and all those people who welcomed us here.”
Itarsi-based Meena said: “We are very thankful to the Prime Minister. He has invited us along with our spouses to Delhi as the chief guest in Republic Day Parade. We are very happy that our family members have also thought of such an opportunity. We never thought that we would come to Delhi to watch the parade.”
Dhanwati Sharma, an ASHA worker from Chhatarpur, said: “PM Modi has called me along with my spouse to watch the parade to be held on 26th January. I thank the Prime Minister for this. Till now we used to watch the parade only on TV but this is the first time, when I will watch the parade from the front.
Raghuvar, ASHA worker from Rajasthan said, “We are proud that I have been invited to Delhi with my spouse to watch the Republic Day Parade. This has boosted our morale. We vow to work together with more vigour.”
Currently, there are more than 10.29 lakh ASHA workers in the country, serving as the first point of contact in India’s healthcare system.
They play a pivotal role in many government health initiatives such as maternal and child healthcare, immunisation, and supporting the Tuberculosis (TB) elimination programme.
