PM Modi inaugurates new Parliament building

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the new Parliament building, seeking blessings from high priests of various 'adheenams' in Tamil Nadu with the holy sceptre in hand. He also installed the historic Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber.

Dressed in traditional attire, PM Modi walked into Parliament premises from its Gate No. 1 and was welcomed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Amid Vedic chants by priests from Karnataka's Shringeri Math, the prime minister performed "Ganapati Homam" to invoke Gods to bless the inauguration of the new Parliament building.


PM then carried the Sengol in a procession amid tunes of "nadaswaram" and chanting of Vedic mantras to the new Parliament building and installed it in a special enclosure on the right side of the Speaker's chair in the Lok Sabha chamber.

Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Mansukh Mandaviya and Jitendra Singh, Yogi Adityanath, Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP president J P Nadda among other leaders were present on the occasion.

The prime minister also felicitated some workers with shawls and souvenirs who played key roles in the construction of the new Parliament building.

A multi-faith prayer was also held to mark the occasion.

The prime minister along with the Speaker and some other dignitaries later went to the old Parliament House.

Highlights of the new Parliament building

• Constructed by Tata Projects Ltd, the new parliament building will have a grand constitution hall to showcase India's democratic heritage, a lounge for MPs, a library, multiple committee rooms, dining areas and ample parking space. The material used for the new building has been acquired from various parts of the country.

• The teakwood used in the building was sourced from Nagpur in Maharashtra, while the red and white sandstone was procured from Sarmathura in Rajasthan. The sandstone for the Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb in the national capital was also known to have been sourced from Sarmathura.
• The triangular-shaped four-storey building has a built-up area of 64,500 square metres.
• The building has three main gates -- Gyan Dwar, Shakti Dwar, and Karma Dwar. It also has separate entrances for VIPs, MPs, and visitors.

• The Kesharia green stone has been procured from Udaipur, the red granite from Lakha near Ajmer and the white marble has been sourced from Ambaji in Rajasthan.
• "In a way, the entire country came together to construct the temple of democracy, thus reflecting the true spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat," an official said.

• The steel structure for the false ceilings in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha chambers have been sourced from the union territory of Daman and Diu, while the furniture in the new building was crafted in Mumbai.
• The stone 'jaali' (lattice) works dotting the building were sourced from Rajnagar in Rajasthan and Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
• The materials for the Ashoka Emblem were sourced from Aurangabad in Maharashtra and Jaipur in Rajasthan, while the Ashok Chakra donning the massive walls of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha chambers and the exteriors of the parliament building were procured from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

• The new Parliament building used manufactured sand or M-sand from Charkhi Dadri in Haryana for creating concrete mix for the construction activities. This sand is considered environment friendly as it is manufactured by crushing large hard stones or granite and not by dredging of river beds.
• The fly ash bricks used in the construction were sourced from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, while brass works and pre-cast trenches were from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

The new Parliament building can comfortably seat 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 in the Rajya Sabha chamber. In case of a joint sitting of both the Houses, a total of 1,280 members can be accommodated in the Lok Sabha chamber.

PM Modi had laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building on December 10, 2020. The present Parliament building was completed in 1927, and is now 96 years old.

Over the years, the old building was found to be inadequate for present day requirements.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had passed resolutions urging the government to construct a new building for Parliament.

The existing building served as independent India's first Parliament and witnessed the adoption of the Constitution.

Originally called the Council House, the building housed the Imperial Legislative Council. The Parliament building witnessed the addition of two floors in 1956 to address the demand for more space.

In 2006, the Parliament Museum was added to showcase the 2,500 years of rich democratic heritage of India.

Officials said the present building was never designed to accommodate a bicameral legislature and the seating arrangements were cramped and cumbersome, with no desks beyond the second row.

The Central Hall has seating capacity only for 440 people and the need for more space was acutely felt during joint sittings of both the houses.

(With inputs from PTI)

Sengol installation at Parliament 'historical': Maker

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building in New Delhi on Sunday morning and installed the historic Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building in New Delhi on Sunday morning and installed the historic Sengol in the Lok Sabha chamber.

PM Modi took the 'Sengol' and walked towards the new Parliament House with the Adheerams of several Mutts from Tamil Nadu to install it in the new building. Modi was accompanied by Speaker Birla to the new building. Modi along with the Lok Sabha speaker then installed the Sengol in the new Parliament House. He dedicated the new Parliament building to the nation by unveiling a plaque and installing the 'Sengol' in the Lok Sabha chamber.

PM Modi took the 'Sengol' and walked towards the new Parliament House with the Adheerams of several Mutts from Tamil Nadu to install it in the new building. Modi was accompanied by Speaker Birla to t..

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The chairman of Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers, Vummidi Sudhakar, described the installation of 'Sengol' as a historical moment and said that it was made by his family almost 75 years ago. "It was a historical moment when PM Modi installed the 'Sengol' in the new Parliament building today. The 'Sengol' was made by our family 75 years ago," said Vummidi Sudhakar while talking to ANI. "It is a very proud moment," said 97-year-old Vummidi Ethiraj of the Vummidi Bangaru Chetty family, the makers of the historic 'Sengol'.

The chairman of Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers, Vummidi Sudhakar, described the installation of 'Sengol' as a historical moment and said that it was made by his family almost 75 years ago. "It was a histo..

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"I feel very proud to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building. PM Modi has always stood proudly with the Tamil culture and Tamil people. Modi ji is the first PM who invited Tamil Adheenams and proudly encourages the Tamil culture in the Parliament," said Sri Harihara Desika Swamigal, the 293rd head priest of Madurai Adheenam while talking to ANI.

"I feel very proud to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building. PM Modi has always stood proudly with the Tamil culture and Tamil people. Modi ji is the first PM who in..

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Sri Harihara Desika Swamigal presented the 'Sengol' to PM Modi. PM Modi took a decision to adopt Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit Kaal. This is the same Sengol that was accepted by the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru at his residence on the night of August 14, in the presence of several leaders.

Sri Harihara Desika Swamigal presented the 'Sengol' to PM Modi. PM Modi took a decision to adopt Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit Kaal. This is the same Sengol that was accepted by the first ..

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The inaugural ceremony began with an early morning havan. Representatives of 25 political parties and many dignitaries, including chief ministers and ministers, are in attendance for the inauguration. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S. Jaishankar and Jitendra Singh, chief ministers of several states and BJP president J.P. Nadda were also present on the occasion.

The inaugural ceremony began with an early morning havan. Representatives of 25 political parties and many dignitaries, including chief ministers and ministers, are in attendance for the inauguration..

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