After the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Army has also decided to hold the Annual Army Day parade outside the national capital to the Southern Command area. This is in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive to hold government functions across the States.
The Army Day Parade on January 15, 2023 will now be held in Southern Command but it will be rotated to different locations every year so that people at large can see the function live, said Indian Army sources.
Army Day history
The Army Day is celebrated to recognise Field Marshal Kodandera M Cariappa's taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army on January 15, 1949. Cariappa, who was a Lieutenant General at that point in time, replaced the last British Commander-in-Chief of India General Francis Roy Bucher.
Parade and other military shows mark the celebration which till now was happening in Delhi Cantonment's Cariappa parade ground and all headquarters. Gallantry awards and Sena medals too are given to Army personnel during the occasion.
On October 8, the IAF will celebrate the annual fly-past and parade at Chandigarh instead of the Hindon Air Base, situated in the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh which borders Delhi. The Navy is expected to follow suit.