New Delhi: The government revealed its plans and arrangements for the main 75th Republic Day parade, which will be held at New Delhi’s Kartavya Path on January 26. In a news conference in the national capital, on Friday, the defence secretary, Giridhar Aramane, said the parade will be based on two themes: “Viksit Bharat” (developed India) and Bharat – Loktantra Ki Matrika (India – mother of democracy).
Aramane also said women marching contingents will form the major chunk of the parade. Most of the tableaux representing the states, Union territories, central ministries and central organizations will showcase the country’s rich cultural diversity, unity, and progress.
The defence secretary also said the themes have been selected in line with the prime minister’s view that “India is truly the mother of democracy.”
Women-centric parade
Aramane also informed that for the first time, the parade will be heralded by 100 women artists playing Indian musical instruments who would play shankh, nadaswaram, nagada, etc.
The parade will also witness an all-women contingent from the three services – Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force – marching down Kartavya Path for the first time. The central armed police forces (CAPFs) contingents will also consist of women personnel. “Best representation of women will be seen in this year’s Republic Day parade,” the defence secretary said.
The parade will start at 10.30am and run for around 90 minutes.
To ensure maximum “Jan Bhagidari” (public participation), the number of seats for the public has been enhanced. This year, the seating capacity at Kartavya Path has been raised to 77,000, of which 42,000 is reserved for the public.
Out of the tickets reserved for the public, 37,680 tickets are priced at ₹100, while 4,320 tickets are priced at ₹20.
These tickets can be booked from www.aamantran.mod.gov.in.
Tableaux
A total of 25 tableaux consisting of 16 states and Union territories and nine central ministries and organizations will move down the Kartavya Path during the parade. The participating states and Union territories include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Madhya Meghalaya, Odisha, Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
The central ministries that will take part in the parade are the home ministry; foreign ministry; electronics and IT ministry; ports, shipping, and waterways ministry; culture ministry.
The central organizations whose tableaux will be exhibited in the parade are Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Centre For Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Election Commission of India (ECI), and Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
Speaking on the issue of exclusion raised by some states and Union territories, the defence secretary said the selection of these floats has been carried out by an expert committee comprising distinguished individuals in the fields of art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography, and other relevant domains.
He also said to further address this concern, the defence ministry has implemented a unique three-year roll-over plan. This plan ensures fair participation on a rotational basis for all states and UTs over a period of three years.
Special guests
Aramane said there would be around 13,000 special guests to witness the parade this year. He said invitations for the event to the guests were sent with the objective to provide an opportunity to the people from all walks of life to take part in the grand event, in line with the government’s vision of “Jan Bhagidari”. He quoted the prime minister, Narendra Modi, by saying that these guests are the pride of the country.
These special guests will include best performers in various fields and those who made best use of various central government schemes. Aramane also informed that given their tough livelihood, special emphasis was given to include Vibrant Villages in the list of special guests for them to be part of the Republic Day celebrations.
