Republic Day: No foreign chief guest this year due to COVID-19

There will be no foreign chief guest on Republic Day this year due to the coronavirus crisis and the Omicron threat. The Government had reportedly sent invitations to the Heads of States of five Central Asian countries.
 
“There will be no foreign chief guest from Central Asian countries on Republic Day this year due to COVID-19. The government had sent invitations to the Heads of State of five Central Asian countries but the plans have now been cancelled,” government sources told news agency ANI.
 
Republic Day celebrations will begin from January 23 this year in order to include Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary. Total 600 artists performing on Republic Day will not be allowed to meet anyone and will travel in sanitised vehicles and kept isolated to avoid getting infection. Sanitation workers, frontline workers, construction workers and auto-rickshaw drivers have been invited to this year’s Republic Day celebrations and they have to be fully vaccinated to be able to attend celebrations.
 
The parade timings have been postponed by 30 minutes – from 10 am to 10:30 am for the first time in 75 years due to the coronavirus restrictions. The number of people allowed to attend the parade this year will be brought down by 70-80 percent to approximately 5,000-8,000 due to COVID-19. Homage will also be paid to the security personnel who lost their life in Jammu and Kashmir.
 
“The parade ceremony will be 90-minute long like last year, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the National War Memorial near the India Gate. Later, contingents will March past. Tableaus will be showcased representing cultural diversity, social and economic progress during the parade,” according to a senior police official. Tableaus will go till the Red Fort and will be parked over there for public display and will stop at National Stadium.
 
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has issued an order prohibiting the flying of para-gliders, para-motors, microlight aircraft, remotely piloted aircraft, hot air balloons and other forms of sub-conventional aerial platforms for a period of 27 days from January 20 in order to mitigate any sort of threats during Republic Day.
 
(With agency inputs)

Also read: Republic Day 2022: Only 5,000-8,000 people to be allowed in parade amid COVID-19

Also read: Republic Day 2022: Delhi Police prohibits para-gliders, other aerial platforms