New Delhi:
The 74th Republic Day parade in Delhi will roll down Kartavya Path for the first time today, the revamped British-period ceremonial boulevard once known as the Rajpath. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is this year’s main guest.
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President Droupadi Murmu will lead the nation in celebrating Republic Day from Kartavya Path. The grand parade, which begins at 10:30 a.m., will be a mix of the country’s military strength and cultural diversity.
Huge security measures have been put in place for the program with the deployment of 6,000 soldiers as part of security arrangements. The Kartavya trail will be monitored by about 150 CCTV cameras, some of which are high resolution.
For the first time, a combined band and marching contingent of the Egyptian Armed Forces will take part in the parade. The contingent will have 144 soldiers, representing the main branches of the Egyptian armed forces.
In a statement, the Defense Ministry said the parade on the 75th year of independence, celebrated as the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”, “will witness zeal, enthusiasm, patriotic fervor and janbhagidari as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi” .
It will feature scenes from 17 states and territories of the Union, and six from different ministries and departments depicting the emergence of a “New India” through growing indigenous capabilities, cultural heritage, economic and social advancement and the power of women.
Cultural performances will be presented by 479 artists chosen through the nationwide “Vande Bharatam” dance competition. This is the second time that the dancers have been selected through a national competition.
The eternal draw of motorcycle display by the Dare Devils team of the Corps of Signals will be part of the show. Eleven children who have been awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for exceptional achievements in bravery, arts and culture, sports, innovation and social service will also be part of the parade.
The grand finale is the long-awaited flypast, in which aircraft from three armed forces will participate. The country’s new Rafale fighter jet will perform the closing Vertical Charlie maneuver. Although Rafale has been part of the parade for the past two years, this is the first time that a quarter of the fleet – nine aircraft – has participated in the flypast.
This year, invitations have been sent to people involved in the construction of Central Vista, Kartavya Path, New Parliament Building, milk, vegetable and street vendors, who will be given a prominent place in the halls.
The Republic Day celebrations, which began with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birthday on January 23, will end with the traditional “Beating the Retreat” ceremony on January 28. The country’s largest drone show, comprising 3,500 indigenous drones, will sweep the skies over the Raisina Hills during the performance.
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