New Delhi: The prestigious ‘At Home’ event of the President of India is staring at an uncertainty due to restrictions on public gathering in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, but preparations are going on for a ‘Corona Warriors’-themed event.
For this purpose, the Union home ministry has asked for a list of names of doctors from top Delhi hospitals. The Ministry of Health has already sent a list of names from Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia and Lady Hardinge Medical College. A list of names from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is being compiled, sources in the government told ThePrint.
The ‘At Home’ event is a prestigious gathering of ministers, MPs, bureaucrats, civilian awardees, freedom fighters, war heroes and other prominent citizens that takes place every year on Republic Day and Independence Day. It is an opportunity for citizens to visit the home of the first citizen and be greeted by him on the two most important dates of the Indian democracy.
Sources said there are frenetic discussions going on currently about the format of the event, the guest list and other details, including whether high tea as usual can be served or not.
A final call will only be taken once the guidelines for Unlock 3.0 are released towards month-end and also based on the Covid-19 situation in the country.
“A final call will have to be taken based on the Unlock 3.0 guidelines, but if the event does take place, the theme will certainly be Corona Warriors,” said a senior government officer.
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‘Corona Warriors’-themed event
A second senior government officer told ThePrint: “The ‘At Home’ event this time is being planned in a way where it can honour the corona warriors.
“The home ministry has asked for a list of the top doctors. During usual times too, there is a sizeable presence of doctors as all Padma awardees are invited and many of them are from the medical profession. But this time, there is an effort to honour the people who are our first line defence against the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” he added.
In usual times, top technocrats in the government such as the director of AIIMS, New Delhi, director-general of ICMR (who is also secretary of the department of health research) and members of the NITI Aayog are a part of the ‘At Home’ guest list. But this is the first time a medical theme is being planned.
However, there is no plan to invite doctors from outside the capital. This is because there are travel restrictions in place in the country and also traditionally ‘At Home’ has always had a Delhi flavour.
Under the home ministry guidelines currently in place, social/ political/sports/ entertainment/academic/cultural/religious functions and other large congregations are not allowed. For weddings, a maximum of 50 people are allowed and for funerals a maximum of 20 people.
Uncertainty about the event
Meanwhile, there are deliberations in Rashtrapati Bhawan on the feasibility of holding the event, largely because of the current public gathering cap of 50 people.
This means that people from within the government — ministers and bureaucrats (secretaries of departments) — would have to be cut off from the guest list.
Even something as simple as the high tea is a delicate question as the presence of bearers would automatically increase the headcount. There are hopes that the count may be increased in the next phase of the guidelines.
The event normally takes place in the Mughal Gardens where social distancing is not a problem. However, the August version of the event is often marred by rains when the gathering shifts inside into the much smaller Convention Centre where there is usually some amount of jostling, and that cannot be risked under the current environment.
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