Nagpur.
A Orange city boy has been invited by the central government to witness the prestigious Republic Day parade from the prime minister’s box. Yash Kotecha had last year scored an impressive 98.4% in std XII (commerce) board exams, making him one of the top scoring students in the country for that stream. His academic performance has landed him an invite from the union human resources and development (HRD) ministry to attend the parade, for which US president Barack Obama will be the chief guest.
Currently preparing for chartered accountancy, the city lad is clearly thrilled to be part of an elite group who will get to witness the parade. “When the letter came, I did not even open it for three hours. I thought it was a leaflet from some chartered accountancy class which I keep getting. Later, I noticed the stamp of Government of India on the envelope and opened it. On seeing the contents, I was extremely overjoyed.”
His father Arun beamed with pride while giving details of the trip to Delhi. “The HRD ministry asked us to get the security clearance for Yash completed from the local cops. That part has been done and a report sent to Delhi directly. Yash’s travel and accommodation has been organized by the government and the three-day stay will include briefings by senior officials and a tour of Delhi. He will be staying at a five-star hotel in Connaught Place and taken to the venue in a special bus as only security cleared vehicles are allowed there,” he added.
For Nagpur city, this is the second time a student has got the PM’s invite in three years. Nandita Rajan, a former student of Centre Point School (Katol Rd), had received a similar invite from the PMO for her academic performance in CBSE board exam.