As part of the Young Exchange and Participation (YEP) Program run by the Ministry of Defense in Argentina, a youth delegation from the Argentine Air Force and Army is here in New Delhi to participate in the 74th Republic Day celebrations. This is the first time the delegation from Argentina is arriving in India for the celebrations.
The 12 young delegates are due to participate in witnessing Republic Day, commemorating India’s adoption of its constitution and transition to a republic on January 26, 1950. Earlier this month this delegation was given a send off by the Indian Ambassador Dinesh Bhatia, who did so in the presence of the Air Force Chief Brig Gen Xavier Isaac.
In July 2022, India sent invitations to 25 youth delegations from six continents to participate in the Republic Day Parade of 2023 as part of a special programme to honour India’s 75 years of independence. The invitation was extended by the National Cadets Corps (NCC), and the youth from different countries travelled to India from January 15 -30.
Youth delegations have been invited for the first time from 15 nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Seychelles. These 15 nations will be added to the ten countries with which NCC already has an ongoing Youth Exchange Program: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Russia, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Kyrgyz Republic, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Vietnam.
Approximately 300 cadets of the National Cadet Corps or comparable youth organisations from these 25 nations have been invited to attend the ceremonies. As part of the tour, ten young people and their supervisors from each of the 25 countries have been invited to attend key Republic Day festivities. The invited youth specifically attended the NCC Republic Day camp.
The selection process was carried out in these countries with the assistance of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Defence Attaches in the Indian missions in the said countries and the youth organisations there. In addition, young organisations that will work together as partners have been chosen.
The candidate’s knowledge of India, its achievements over the previous 75 years, its culture, and its people were taken into consideration during the evaluation process.
About Republic Day Celebrations
Each year, the commemoration of the day is marked by a spectacular military and cultural performance. In New Delhi, members of the parade of the armed services along the Kartavya path in an impressive display of military prowess. The festivities, which are kicked off with a magnificent procession, are held in the nation’s capital, New Delhi, from Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan along the Kartavya road, past India Gate.
On this day, ceremonial marches are held on the Kartavya road as a tribute to India, its unity in variety, and its rich cultural history by the states of India, who construct elaborate tableaus in honour of India.