A week ahead of the grand Republic Day celebration, a lot is being pinned on the itinerary. Like every year, Delhi will be witnessing a grand parade with the Army march and showcase of tableaux from different states at Rajpath. However, with the consistent drop in temperature in northern India, several changes may be seen in the lineup of the events. In addition to the rapid spread of Covid-19, several restrictions have been imposed by the Centre for the Republic Day Parade of 2022.
The grand parade will begin half an hour later this year at 10:30 am due to the prediction of foggy days around January 26. Hence, the Defence Ministry has decided to keep the event start time at 10:00 am for better visibility. In addition to this, 10 large LED screens on both sides -- five on each -- of Rajpath will also be installed for spectators to watch. This would also reduce crowding at any specific location.
Keeping in view the spike in coronavirus cases, the guestlist for the parade has been cut short and only 24,000 people would be allowed this time at the grand event. Out of these 24,000 people, 19,000 have been invited while the rest would be the general public who have to purchase tickets. Before the pandemic took over the world, over one lakh people were allowed to watch the event live.
Prior to broadcasting the parade live, the screens would be broadcasting short films on the Armed forces, clips of previous marches and clips of other events in the run-up of the day.
However, this is the second consecutive year, when no special foreign dignitary has been invited to be the special guest of the programme. However, the event will still witness a series of launch programmes and other activities.
R-Day Schedule
In a first, the Republic Day parade will be held on the new-look Central Vista in Delhi. On the same day, Shaheedon Ko Shat Shat Naman, a nationwide flagship programme of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) will be launched as part of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' to honour the sacrifices of martyrs. According to media reports, this year's Republic Day falls in the 75th year of India's Independence, which would be celebrated as Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. “You will see many firsts during the main parade on Rajpath on January 26 as also during the "Beating Retreat" ceremony on January 29," an officer said to local media.
At the time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be paying homage to soldiers at the National War Memorial in New Delhi, the families of 5,000 fallen heroes would be presented with the Plaque of Gratitude by National Cadet Corp members all over the country.
Following the recovery of a bomb, which was later diffused, from the Ghazipur flower market, the security agencies have fortified the areas around Rajpath with multilayer security. This is the ceremonial road on which the parade takes place every year. Additionally, 300 CCTV cameras have been installed in the area with facial recognition.
Additionally, around 75 aircraft including Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, Mi-17, Sarang would participate in the traditional Fly-Past marking the end of the grand parade. The Fly-Past will witness 15 different formations by these aircraft/helicopters
Controversy over Republic Day tableaux showcase
Like every year, there is a tableau showcasing during the grand parade on Republic Day. The tableau proposals received from various states and central ministries are evaluated in a series of meetings of an expert committee comprising of eminent people in the field of art, culture, sculpture, music, architecture and choreography among others, the sources said.
However, recently, there has been a controversy around the tableau approval of certain specific states.
The tableaux proposals of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal were rejected by the subject expert committee for this year's Republic Day parade. According to the latest reports, the parade this year is unlikely to have a tableau from Delhi as well.
Sources in the central government said a total of 56 proposals had come from states and central ministries. Out of these, 21 were shortlisted and a similar process of selection is adopted every year.
In a series of tweets, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated, "The duration of the parade itself is limited. An Expert Committee of eminences from the arts shortlists from those received,” adding, “Stop seeing bad politics in a display that celebrates India.”
