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New Delhi: The government has decided to significantly reduce the number of people attending the parade. As of last week, the Ministry of Defense was preparing to accommodate about 24,000 people. Senior officials said on Tuesday that this year the number may be reduced to 5,000 to 8,000.
This year’s Republic Day parade will begin half an hour later than in previous years. The Ministry of Defence has decided that since fog is expected around January 26, the parade will begin at 10:30 am instead of 10 am to allow for better visibility.
“As fog is expected in the morning, to provide a better viewing experience to the parade spectators, we will install 10 large LED screens, five on each side of Rajpath,” a senior defence ministry official said today.
Before the parade begins, a selection of films will be screened that combines footage from previous Republic Day parades, short films on the armed forces, and stories related to various events leading up to Republic Day 2022. Afterwards, the screens will broadcast the parade live.
The guest list and parade have been cut short this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Around 24,000 people will be allowed to participate in the Republic Day parade this year due to the coronavirus pandemic in Delhi.
“The number of people participating in the parade this year is around 24,000, of which 19,000 are invited and the rest are general public who can buy tickets,” the source said.
Last year’s parade was also held during the coronavirus pandemic, with about 25,000 people allowed to attend.
Like last year, this year’s Republic Day parade will not invite foreign dignitaries as guests of honor. Previously, India had invited leaders of five Central Asian countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as guests of honor.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had invited these leaders during the third India-Central Asia Dialogue Conference last year.
But after the recent surge in cases due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, India decided not to host the leaders.
Last year, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson withdrew from the event after the UK was hit by a second wave of the epidemic.
Before the pandemic, the 2020 parade was allowed to have about 125,000 people.
This is the second consecutive year that no foreign dignitaries were invited to serve as guests of honor at the military parade. However, this year has set many precedents.
On January 26, the National Cadet Corps’ (NCC) national flagship programme ‘Shaheedon Ko Shat Shat Naman’ will be launched as a part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to honour the heroes who have sacrificed their lives in defence of the nation.
While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to the soldiers at the National War Memorial in New Delhi, members of the National Cadets Corps across the country will present plaques of appreciation to the families of around 5,000 fallen heroes.
“This year’s Republic Day coincides with the 75th anniversary of India’s independence and the theme of the celebrations is ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. You will see many ‘firsts’ at the main parade on Rajpath on January 26 and the ‘rolling back’ ceremony on January 29,” said an official.
As many as 75 aircraft will take part in the traditional air show that will mark the end of the ceremony. Old and modern aircraft such as Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, Mi-17, Saran, Apache and Dakota will be seen. The air show will witness 15 different formations of these aircraft/helicopters
After a bomb was found and defused at the Ghazipur flower market a few days before the procession, security agencies have stepped up multi-layered security in the area around Rajpath, the road where the procession is held.
“We have installed 300 CCTVs equipped with facial recognition system to monitor every move in the area,” said a senior official.
This year’s parade will be held at the revamped Central Vista, the first transformation of Delhi’s iconic British-built area. The government is racing against time to complete parts of the ceremonial road, Rajpath, for the annual display of India’s military might and culture on January 26.
4 comments Officials said English chairs, lights and a new pathway to connect to stormwater drains were ready, but heavy rains over the past few days have slowed down construction.
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