The grand parade of marching contingents of the Indian Armed Forces and the Paramilitary forces will march past at Kartavya Path on January 26 during Republic Day Celebrations. There will also be cultural performances by the children, acrobatic motorcycle rides and a fly-past, tableaux display by the States and Central Ministries/Departments; and a fly-past, besides the Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Vijay Chowk and Prime Minister’s NCC rally.
Number of spectators
This year, according to a top Ministry of Defence (MoD) official, around 45,000 spectators will witness the Republic Day 2023 parade in the national capital on January 26.
Briefing the media on the plans for the Republic Day celebrations, the defence secretary, Giridhar Aramane said: “This year around 32, 000 tickets will be available online for sale, and around 12,000 e-invitations will be issued. And there will be some tickets which will be sold physically for the public.”
In previous years the number of people invited to witness the parade was around 1.25 lakh, except during the COVID-19 period when just around 25,000 were invited.
Why have the numbers been reduced?
The defence secretary said that the numbers are the same for the general public but the number of VVIPs invites have been cut down. “Earlier, it used to be over 50,000 – 60,000 and now it has been reduced to 12,000.”
Chief Guest
The chief guest this year is Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. And for the first time according to Defence Secretary Aramane a 120-member Egyptian contingent will march on during the Republic Day Celebration on Kartavaya Path.
According to him this year there will be tableaus from 16 states and six Union ministries which will be displayed.
Theme
According to him the theme of this year’s celebration is “Janbhagidari’’. This means more people participate and everything has been planned accordingly.
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In the front row there will be special invitees including milk booth vendors, vegetable vendors, and small grocery vendors, shramjeevi (labourers) of Central Vista projects and their family members, and maintenance workers of Kartavya Path.
Special Arrangements
The government has announced that it is providing a special free metro ride to those spectators who have valid tickets or invitation cards for the RD Parade. And they will have to exit from Central Secretariat and Udhyog Bhawan metro stations.
Celebrations
Weeklong celebrations will start from Jan 23 with freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose Birthday celebrations along with military tattoo and tribal dance. According to the Ministry of Defence these will be conducted for two days at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. And will culminate on Jan 30 which is observed as Martyrs’ Day.
Military Tattoo & Tribal Dance
There will be events including Navy Band, Pan motor and hot air balloon, Horse show, Thangta, khukri dance, gadka, Mallakhamb, Kalaripayattu, Motorcycle display, and air warrior drill team.
On both days there will be 20 tribals from across the country performing tribal dances representing “Aadi Shaurya”. Also, Bollywood singer Kailash Kher will entertain the audience. Around 60,000 spectators are expected to be there to watch the shows. The events are free, says the government. But one has to book online.
NCC
This year there are 198 foreign cadets from 19 countries who have been invited to witness the parade. And among them there are 32 officers and 166 cadets who are expected to participate in the Prime Minister’s NCC Rally scheduled to take place on January 27.
Focus on Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative
During the parade some indigenous platforms will be showcased including Advanced Light Helicopter, Main Battle Tank, NAG Missile system, K9 Vajra, BrahMos, and Akash Missile, among others.
Beating the Retreat Ceremony
According to the defence secretary this year around 10 percent of total seats have been reserved for the general public, which stands at 1,250. Like last year this year too there will be a Drone Show and projection mapping.