India Today 2017 : Republic Day

India, officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous democracy in the world. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;^[d] China, Nepal, and Bhutanto the northeast; and Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. Its capital is New Delhi; other metropolises include Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.^[18] Four religions–Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism–originated in India, whereas Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE, and they also played a part in shaping the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, it became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.

In 2015, the Indian economy was the world's seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity.^[15] Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest-growing major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, and inadequate public healthcare. A nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a federalconstitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system and consists of 29 states and 7 union territories. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

NEW DELHI: The nation's military prowess, its state-of-the-art defence platforms and its diverse cultural and social traditions are on showcase on the Capital's Rajpath as the country celebrates its 68th Republic Day.

As per tradition, the Republic Day Parade ceremony commenced at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi lead the nation in paying homage to the martyrs by laying a wreath.

An eternal flame burns at the Amar Jawan Jyoti to commemorate the indomitable courage of Indian Armed Forces personnel who made the supreme sacrifice in the country's service.

The PM and President's cavalcades then moved down Rajpath, where after the unfurling of the National Flag, the national anthem was played with a 21 gun salute. Then, the parade began and President Pranab Mukherjee rose to take the salute.

For the first time, a contingent of UAE soldiers marched in the parade. The 149-member Presidential Guard, which was led by a UAE band consisting of 35 musicians, presented a ceremonial salute to President Mukherjee. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and a son of the UAE's founding president, is the chief guest at the Republic Day parade+ this year.

In another first, a contingent of the National Security Guard (NSG), popularly known as the Black Cat Commandos, also participated in the parade.

The parade was commanded by Lt General Manoj Mukund Naravane, General Officer Commanding, Delhi Area.

The army showcased its Tank T-90 and Infantry Combat Vehicle and Bramhos Missile, one of its treasured armour, its Weapon Locating Radar Swathi, Transportable Satellite Terminal and Akash Weapon System.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) tableau rolled down the Rajpath with the theme "Air Dominance Through Network Centric Operations". The tableau displayed the scaled down models of Su-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, AWACS, UAV, Apache and Communication Satellite.

The Indian Navy's "Professional Force-Anchoring Stability, Security and National Prosperity" tableau showcased the lethal marine commandos proceeding for action, the indigenously built Kolkata Class Destroyer and the Kalvari Class next generation attack submarines. It also displayed a model of the P-8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

Tableaux from 17 states and Union Territories, six Central Ministries and Departments presented the varied historical, art and cultural heritage of the country.

The heroic motor bike stunts of 'Dare Devils'- the motorcycle display team of Corps of Military Police - was a big hit with the parade viewers.

The grand finale of the parade was a spectacular flypast by the IAF's Mi-35 helicopters, indigenous combat light aircraft Tejas, Jaguars and Sukhois.

Prime Minister Modi earlier took to his Twitter handle to greet the nation on this occasion.

Security is tight in the national capital, particularly around Rajpath and the parade route. Multi-layered security has been put in place and elaborate ground-to-air security and traffic arrangements have been made, ANI reported.

As many as 50,000 security personnel, drawn from Delhi Police and the central security forces, are guarding every nook and corner in the entire Central and New Delhi region. CCTV cameras have also been installed and eight control rooms have been set up to monitor the feed from the cameras.