New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled the national emblem placed at the rooftop of new Parliament building.

After the special ceremony, which saw presence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla as well as Housing Minister Hardeep Puri, PM Modi also interacted with the Shramjeevis who toiled hard for the construction of new grand Parliament building.

I had a wonderful interaction with the Shramjeevis who have been involved in the making of the Parliament. We are proud of their efforts and will always remember their contribution to our nation. pic.twitter.com/p4LUFmCTDx

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 11, 2022

The national emblem’s grandeur & splendor is reflected from its grand presence at the top new Parliament building. The mammoth structure is made up of bronze, weighing about 9,500 kg and 6.5 metre height. To support the Ashoka Lions, a steel structure weighing around 6,500 Kg has also been erected.

The metal sculpture has been built by artists Sunil Deore and Lakshman Vyas. Earlier, the design incorporated a spire atop the building and was replaced with the Ashoka Emblem in 2020.

Completion deadline & cost of project

The existing Parliament building was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker who also outlined the map of New Delhi. It was inaugurated in January 1927, by then Governor General of India Lord Irwin.

Almost after a century, the foundation stone of the new building was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2020.

The new Parliament building, which is coming up as part of the Central Vista Project, will do a complete makeover of the Rajpath. A new Prime Minister’s residence & office, new Vice-President’s conclave and a joint Central Secretariat will come up in the vicinity.

Tata Projects won the contract to build the new Parliament building last year and hopes to complete the project by December 2022. The project’s estimated cost was earlier pegged at Rs 971 crore, which shot up by nearly 24 per cent to about Rs 1,200 crore due to change in construction plan and pandemic-related delay.