R-Day visitors to be curtailed

New Delhi: The number of people allowed to attend the Republic Day parade this year is likely to be curtailed to approximately 5,000-8,000 due to the COVID-19 situation, with seats reserved for construction workers, frontline health workers and others, senior officials of the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

Only double vaccinated adults and children above the age of 15 who have taken at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be allowed to enter, they said, adding children below 15 years will not be permitted to attend the event. The officials said the parade would start at 10.30 AM instead of 10 AM to provide better visibility.

They said the number of people that would be allowed to attend the Republic Day parade this year is to be curtailed by 70-80 percent to approximately 5,000-8,000 due to the ongoing COVID-19 wave.

Nearly 25,000 people were allowed to attend the last year’s parade, compared to around 1.25 lakh people in 2020, due to the pandemic.

A decision on whether chief guests will be there for the Republic Day parade 2022 (RDP-2022) is yet to be taken by the Ministry of External Affairs, the officials mentioned. There was no chief guest at the parade last year.

This year, as a special endeavour, seats have been reserved for autorickshaw drivers, construction workers, sanitation workers and frontline health workers for the parade as well as for the Beating the Retreat ceremony that takes place on January 29, they said.

Officials said the aim of inviting fewer people this year is to maintain social distancing at all times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the numbers have been significantly curtailed, they added.

While the exact number is yet to be decided, it would be anywhere between 5,000-8,000 people this year, they mentioned. People would be encouraged to watch the parade on TV and through the live streaming, they said. The next of kin of approximately 5,000 fallen heroes will be presented with a ‘Plaque of Gratitude’ by NCC cadets all over the country at about the same time as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays homage to the country’s bravehearts at the National War Memorial in New Delhi on January 26.

This will mark the beginning of the programme which will continue till August 15, 2022, the officials said. “The decision regarding chief guests is being handled by the Ministry of External Affairs and we will wait for their decision in this regard,’’ an official said.

There are a number of interesting additions this year including the display of painting scrolls along the Rajpath and invitation cards for parade having seeds of medicinal plants.