Republic Day 2022 Parade to be a recap of Armed Forces evolution since 1950

With the Indian Army unveiling a new set of combat uniforms on January 15, 2022, this year, there will be six Indian Army Contingents which will showcase the uniforms over the decades. The new uniform which is expected to be made available to almost 12 lakh personnel of the Indian Army has a new disruptive design, and camouflage pattern and has a different material which is going to be comfortable for the forces in different weather conditions. The information regarding the contingents showcasing different uniforms and weapons which were carried by the soldiers over several decades was shared with the media on Sunday (Jan 23, 2022) by Chief of Staff of Delhi Area Major General Alok Kakkar.

The contingents will showcase uniforms and weapons from 1950 onwards.

According to the Indian Army top officer, this year the contingent of Rajput Regiment will wear the Army’s uniform from the 1950s, and they will be carrying a 0.303 rifle. They will be followed by an Assam contingent carrying the same weapons, but will be wearing the uniform of the 1960s.

The third contingent is of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. They will be marching in the uniform of 1970s and will be carrying the 7.62mm Self Loading Rifle (SLR).

The fourth and fifth contingents will be from the Sikh Light Infantry and Army Ordnance Corps regiments. These contingents will be in the existing uniform of the Army (this uniform was last changed in 2008). The contingents will carry the 5.56 mm INSAS rifles.

The contingent at the rear end will be the Parachute Regiment. They will be in the latest uniform which was unveiled earlier this month and will be marching with Tavor rifles.

In total there will be sixteen marching contingents. These will include six from the Indian Army; one each from the Indian Air Force and the Navy. There will be four from CAPF; one from Delhi Police; one from NSS and two from NCC. Due to strict COVID-19 protocols, each contingent will have 96 personnel marching instead of 144.

Since strict COVID-19 protocols are in place and the number of guests too is kept low, the parade this year, according to top officials, will go up to National Stadium. This means unlike previous years, the parade will not go up to Red Fort. In 2021, too, the parade had marched up to National Stadium due to COVID-19 protocols in place.

Source: https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/republic-day-2022-indian-army-to-display-uniforms-and-weapons-since-1950/2414274/