Full dress rehearsal of Republic Day Parade held

New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) The full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day Parade was held at Kartavya Path in Delhi, in which personnel from the Army, Air Force, Navy and the Paramilitary forces participated on Monday. Twenty three tableaux from 17 states and various departments of the government took part in the rehearsal which started at 10.30 a.m.

Six tableaux of the Central ministries and departments became part of the rehearsal. The country’s rich cultural heritage, economic and social progress and internal and external security was depicted in these tableaux.

Also on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on the occasion of Parakram Jayanti and said: “Today, on Parakram Diwas, I pay homage to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and recall his unparalleled contribution to India’s history.”

“He will be remembered for his fierce resistance to colonial rule. Deeply influenced by his thoughts, we are working to realise his vision for India.”

According to the Ministry of Defence, various successes in different fields will be displayed during the Republic Day Parade this year, reflecting the country’s geographical and rich cultural diversity.

Seventeen tableaux from states and UTs like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala will present a glimpse of historical heritage.

The marching contingent of the Indian Air Force for the parade will be led by Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy, a woman officer. The four officers and 144 air warriors in the contingent will march in a box formation.

According to the Indian Air Force, 45 aircraft including 9 Rafale jets and four helicopters will be included in the fly-past at the celebrations.

The IL-38 plane of the Indian Air Force will take part in the Republic Day parade for the first and perhaps the last time. Formations of the flag, Rudra, eagle, Tiranga, Garuda, Bhima, Amrit, and Vijay among others will be made in flypast.

Six tableaux from the Ministry of Culture, Central Armed Police Forces, Narcotics Control Bureau, Central Public Works Department, Indian Council of Agricultural Research will show the work and achievements of the last few years.

The tableaux of States and Union Territories have been selected for the Republic Day Parade on a zonal basis, in which the States and Union Territories have been classified into six divisions — Northern Zone, Central Zone, Eastern Zone, Western Zone, Southern Zone and North Eastern Zone.

Generally, around 15 tableaux are selected from the States/UTs depending on the proportional size of each region.

In the selection process, an expert committee examined the tableaux proposals of various States and Union Territories.

Apart from this, several rounds of discussions were held by the committee members with the representatives of the states on the theme, presentation, artistic performance and technical aspects of the tableau.

–IANS

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