A total of 32 cadres, 17 from various states and UT, nine from ministries and six from the defense arm, will be seen passing through Rajpath this year. Among these, cadres from Ladakh, the Union Territory that was created in 2019 after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, will be included for the first time. Meanwhile, a multi-tiered security arrangement has been in place at all locations in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure peaceful Republic Day celebrations, officials said Monday.
For the first time in 55 years, there will also be no major guests at this year’s parade, after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed “regret” at not being able to visit India.
The 61 Cavalry contingent will be led by a horse that has attended the parade for the past 18 years. The horse is 21 years old, one year older than when the animal usually retires. The Bangladeshi contingent will mark the third instance of a military contingent from a friendly foreign nation participating in the parade: the first was France in 2016 and then the United Arab Emirates. in 2017.
Ninety percent of the Territorial Army contingent is made up of people from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, arriving on the mainland for the first time.
.
