On Sunday, BJP leader Narendra Modi was sworn in as India’s prime minister for the third time in a row. This is significant since no prime minister has served a third term in office since Jawaharlal Nehru, the first PM of independent India.
Seventy-two leaders were sworn into the Modi 3.0 ministry on this momentous day. Thirty Cabinet ministers, five Ministers of State with Independent Charge, and thirty-six Ministers of State make up the new Cabinet. Important people include Dr S Jaishankar, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
President Droupadi Murmu gave the ministers the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhawan, which has three layers of security in place. Authorities added that because Delhi was on high alert for the event, commandos from the NSG and SWAT sections of the Delhi Police were stationed around the venue and other key areas.
The national capital was off-limits to the usage of aerial vehicles such as hot air balloons, drones, paragliders, and remotely piloted aircraft for the next few days after police designated it a no-fly zone.
In keeping with India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, leaders of neighbouring countries Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius, and the Seychelles were present at the swearing-in ceremony.
