PM Modi inaugurates 'Kartavya Path: Here's all you need to know about the erstwhile Rajpath

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated ‘Kartavya Path’ and unveiled a statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at India Gate at 7 pm in New Delhi.

Here's all you need to know about Kartavya Path:

The historic Rajpath was renamed as ‘Kartavya Path’ ahead of the inauguration. The decision to rename Rajpath came on Wednesday after a formal meeting of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).

Kartavya Path will include the erstwhile Rajpath and Central Vista Lawns. The whole stretch and area from the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to Rashtrapati Bhavan will be considered as Kartavya Path.

The three-kilometer stretch was constructed as a ceremonial boulevard by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker.

Edwin Lutyens conceptualized the modern imperial city as centered around a “ceremonial axis".

The path was named Kingsway as an honor to the Emperor of India, King George V, who visited Delhi during the Durbar of 1911. The stretch was renamed ‘Rajpath’ following Independence.

On this Independence Day, in his address from Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed the need to abolish colonial symbols. The look of Central Vista Avenue, the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose under the Grand Canopy and the renaming of ‘Rajpath’ to 'Kartavya Path' seem to be efforts in that direction.