India gets new Parliament: PM Modi inaugurates new building, places Sengol in Lok Sabha; all you need to know 

India got its new Parliament building on Sunday, nearly a hundred years after the first building was constructed in 1927. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday kicked off an hours-long ceremony to inaugurate the new Parliament building. The ceremony began this morning at 7:15 am, with PM Modi performing early morning havan and a multi-religion prayer.

PM Modi unveiled the plaque to mark the inauguration of the new Parliament building and placed the sacred Sengol near Lok Sabha Speaker's chair. The Sengol, a symbol of the transfer of power from the British in 1947, was consecrated amid Vedic chanting by Adheenams before its installation in the new Parliament building.  

Religious leaders from different faiths attended the event and performed prayers at the new Parliament building, which has been built in record time. PM Modi along with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Cabinet ministers attended the 'Sarv-dharma' prayer ceremony held at the new Parliament building.

Today, history was made when the new Parliament House was dedicated to the nation. PM Modi received the sacred Sengol - a symbol of fair and equitable governance - and installed it in the new Parliament House. This is the same Sengol that was accepted by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at his residence on the night of 14 August 1947.

The new Parliament building can comfortably seat 888 members in the Lok Sabha chamber and 300 in the Rajya Sabha chamber. In the case of a joint sitting of both Houses, a total of 1,280 members can be accommodated in the Lok Sabha chamber. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the new parliament building on December 10, 2020.

The new building has been built in record time with quality construction, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said. The present building of the Parliament 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.

(With inputs from PTI)