75-aircraft fly-past, display of 10 scrolls at R-Day parade

For a better viewing experience at the parade, 10 large LED screens - five on each side of Rajpath – will be installed

New Delhi: A grand fly-past of 75 aircraft of the Indian Air Force, cultural performances by 480 dancers selected through competitive process, display of 10 scrolls each of 75 metres length and installation of 10 large LED screens will be happening for the first time at the Republic Day parade on Wednesday, the Ministry of Defence said.

The Republic Day parade (RDP)-2022 is happening in the 75th year of Indian independence, which is being celebrated as 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' across the country, the MoD's statement on Tuesday noted. "The grand finale and the most keenly awaited segment of the parade, the fly-past, will for the first time witness 75 aircraft of the IAF displaying a number of formations, as part of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'," it mentioned.

For the first time, the IAF has coordinated with Doordarshan to show cockpit videos during the fly past, it noted. Vintage, as well as current modern aircraft like Rafale, Sukhoi, Jaguar, Mi-17, Sarang, Apache and Dakota, will display different formations -- including Rahat, Meghna, Eklavya, Trishul, Tiranga, Vijay and Amrit -- at the fly-past, the MoD stated.

Ten scrolls each of 75 metres in length and 15 feet in height will be displayed along the Rajpath during the parade for the first time, it mentioned. "They (scrolls) were prepared during the 'Kala Kumbh' event jointly organised by Ministries of Defence and Culture," it noted.

The competition 'Vande Bharatam' began at the district level with the participation of nearly 3,870 dancers in 323 groups progressed to State and zonal levels over a period of two months in November and December, it mentioned. "Finally, 480 dancers were selected. They will showcase their talent during the parade at Rajpath," it stated.

For a better viewing experience at the parade, 10 large LED screens - five on each side of Rajpath – will be installed, the MoD mentioned. "Curated films combining footages of previous Republic Day parades, short films on the armed forces and stories related to various events in the run-up to the RDP-2022 will be screened before the parade," it noted. Thereafter, the screens will show the live event, it mentioned.

Police service medals

Eighteen personnel of the India-China LAC guarding force Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have been decorated with various police service medals including gallantry decorations on the eve of Republic Day. A notification issued by the Union home ministry on Tuesday stated that three personnel have been awarded the police medal for gallantry (PMG), three with the President's police medal for distinguished service and 12 with the police medal for meritorious service. The PMG has been given to the team of Assistant Commandant Ashok Kumar, Inspectors Suresh Lal and Neela Singh for neutralising two wanted Maoists during a fierce encounter in the left wing extremism-affected area of Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district in February, 2018. A huge assortment of arms and ammunition was also recovered after the operation.