The Republic Day parade this year will have a unique feature as all-women officers’ contingents of the Indian Air Force, Army and Navy will march down Rajpath. The three contingents will also cover the entire 10-km route like their male colleagues after saluting President Pranab Mukherjee, who is the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. President Barack Obama will be the first US Head of State to attend the parade as the chief guest. The move is seen as an attempt to showcase the role of women officers, who were first inducted into the armed forces in 1991. The three services are now in the process of selecting women officers who would be able to go through the arduous parade training.
Since contingents are competing with each other to bag the trophy for the best marching contingent, the drill sergeants are selecting only the best woman officers from all over the country, officials said on Thursday. Watched by thousands of spectators, besides millions of others on television, the contingents will have to march in tune with the band for ten kms, from Rajpath to Red Fort.Each contingent will have 150 women officers and drill ‘ustaads’ are now putting them through the paces at Rajpath. Many women officers, drawn from other parts of the country, have never braved the harsh Delhi winters and it is tough for them to be up and about every morning at 4.00 am for training.
But the women are taking these hardships in their stride like their male colleagues, officials said.Till now, women officers used to either lead or be second-in-command while leading the marching contingents on Republic Day.However, this time these special marching contingents will be there besides the usual band and marching units followed by tableaux. Meanwhile, after a gap of three decades, the Indian Navy will fly its fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft during the Republic Day parade.
MIG-29K fighter jets, procured from Russia for carrying out operations from aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, will fly past the saluting dais along with the newly-acquired P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance airplanes from the US. Two MiG-29Ks and one P-8I will take part in the fly past besides nearly 40 fighter jets, transport planes and helicopters of the IAF.
India purchased 45 MiG-29Ks to fly from the decks of INS Vikramaditya and indigenous carrier INS Vikrant, now under construction at the Cochin Shipyard. While Russian made and refurbished INS Vikramaditya was inducted into the Navy in November 2013, INS Vikrant is expected to join service in 2018. The MiG-29K squadron was commissioned in August, 2013. The Navy currently has six P-81 aircraft and will get two more by the end of this year.The last time the Navy fighter jets took part in the Republic Day parade was in 1984 when Arun Prakash, who rose to become the Navy chief, flew in a Sea Harrier jet over the Rajpath.