The Ministry of Defence on Thursday shortlisted a total of 22 participants for the Republic Day parade on January 26. The participants including 16 States and Union Territories and six ministries and departments have been shortlisted for participation in the parade after a series of five meetings.
They are--Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Department of Financial Services, NDRF (Ministry of Home Affairs), CPWD (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs), Ministry of Shipping, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.
An official statement said, "For Republic Day Parade 2020, a total of 56 tableaux proposals (32 from States/UTs and 24 from Ministries/Departments) were received. Out of these, 22 proposals, comprising of 16 States/UTs and 6 Ministries/Departments, have finally been shortlisted for participation in the Republic Day Parade 2020 after a series of five meetings."
The tableaux proposals received from various States/UTs and Central Ministries/Departments are evaluated in a series of meetings of the Expert Committee comprising of eminent persons in the field of art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography etc., added the statement. The Expert Committee examines the proposals on the basis of theme, concept, design and its visual impact before making its recommendations.
"Due to time constraints arising out of overall duration of the parade, only a limited number of tableaux can be shortlisted for participation in the parade. The selection process in vogue, leads to the participation of the best tableaux in the parade," further said the statement.
"There is a well-established system for selection of tableaux for participation in the Republic Day Parade as per which Ministry of Defence invites proposals for tableau from all States/UTs and Central Ministries/Departments," added the statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day, which the Brazilian president accepted.
