Lucknow, Jan. 14 -- In all, 42 gram pradhans from Uttar Pradesh will represent the state at the Republic Day celebrations on the Kartavya Path, New Delhi, UP panchayati raj minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said here on Tuesday. The village heads, chosen for outstanding development work, transparent governance and strong public participation at the grassroots level, have been invited as special guests along with their spouses or guardians. "The invitation to gram panchayat representatives for the 77th Republic Day Parade is seen as national recognition of Uttar Pradesh's strengthened Panchayati Raj system and the impact of governance reforms at the village level," the minister said, adding "The ministry of Panchayati Raj nominated the 42 village heads from the state as per prescribed national benchmarks." In addition, 20 special invitees recommended by Union minister of state SP Singh Baghel, along with state and district-level nodal officers, will also participate, taking the total UP contingent to 93 members. Om Prakash Rajbhar said the honour to village representatives reflected the hard work, transparency and people's participation achieved in rural governance, calling it a matter of pride for the entire state. Director, panchayati raj, Amit Kumar Singh, said the presence of Uttar Pradesh's village leaders at Kartavya Path underlined their evolving role as active partners in nation- building, beyond mere implementation of government schemes....