Indian Army decides to hold Army Day parade from Delhi to Southern Command area

New Delhi, Sept 20: The Indian Army has decided to shift the location of the Army Day Parade from the national capital to an area in southern command. This comes in the line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to move significant events and festivities out of the national capital.

 

 

According to Indian Army officials, "Indian Army has decided to shift the annual Army Day Parade held on January 15 in Delhi outside the national capital. Army Day parade of 2023 will be held in the Southern Command area"

 

India will celebrate its 75th Army Day in 2023. Notably, it was a day when in 1949, Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa took over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. He took the command from General Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India.

 

 

Army Day celebrates the transfer of power from the British to the Indian Army and signifies an important milestone in the history of the Indian Army. The day also honors the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the service of the nation. Military hardware, contingent display and combat display are part of the parade and the brave soldiers of the Indian Army also receive gallantry awards like Sena medals.

 

Speaking of the Indian Army's Southern Command, it comprises two Corps with their Headquarters in Jodhpur and Bhopal. The static formations include Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, with its HQ at Mumbai and the Dakshin Bharat Area with its HQ at Chennai. The Command covers eleven states and four Union Territories. Its formations, establishments and units are spread across 19 cantonments and 36 military stations.

 

 

It is also pertinent to mention that the Indian Air Force (IAD) had also recently moved out its annual fly-past and parade from the Hindon Air Base near Delhi to Chandigarh this year. Army officials said the parade would now be held at different locations on a rotational basis and the venue would be changed every year.

 

In the last eight years, the Prime Minister has started hosting foreign dignitaries in different cities like Ahmedabad and Chennai. Many events like the military exhibition Defexpo are being held in other states. The aim is to foster a deeper connect with the people across the country and bring governance closer to the masses.