India / PM Modi greets nation on 72nd Republic Day

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today greeted the nation on the occasion of the country's 72nd Republic Day. "Wishing all the people of India a Happy Republic Day. Jai Hind!," PM Modi tweeted.

However, this year's Republic Day will be very different from previous years as it is for the first time that it will be held amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

India will see a scaled-down Republic Day parade at Rajpath. The parade will have a shorter route, fewer spectators, no children below the age of 15 years. Only around 25,000 spectators will be allowed to witness the parade.

The Republic Day Parade ceremony will commence with Prime Minister Modi visiting the National War Memorial.

The scheduled programme will start at 9 am and conclude after the traditional fly past 11.25 am.

Apart from tableaus of Armed forces, 17 tableaus from different states and nine tableaus from different ministries/departments of the central government and Paramilitary Forces and six from the Ministry of Defence will also be on display during the annual parade.

The Delhi Police have made elaborate traffic arrangements and restrictions for the smooth conduct of the Republic Day Parade along the route. Vehicular movement in the national capital will be affected, especially in central Delhi, owing to the Republic Day parade in the morning, followed by the farmers’ tractor parade.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened in the national capital with police barricades mounted at various important places in the city including ITO, Yamuna Bridge and other locations ahead of the Republic Day parade.