India Republic day 2023 live updates: India making key contributions for global stability, says Putin in R-Day greetings

Much before the Telangana high court directed the state government on Wednesday to conduct the Republic Day parade officially, governor Tamilisai Soundararajan took up the matter with the Centre, it is learnt. Raj Bhavan sources said an upset Tamilisai spoke to the home ministry and pointed out how the state government had told her to hold the Republic Day event separately in Raj Bhavan rather than a public event. Following the high court's orders, a police parade will be held in Raj Bhavan before unfurling the flag.

The Padma Awards 2023 honour the deceased Samajwadi Party chieftain Mulayam Singh Yadav and former Union minister and Karnataka chief minister SM Krishna with Padma Vibhushan, apart from recognising a host of unsung heroes including Dilip Mahalanabis who was selected posthumously for Padma Vibhushan for saving lives by propagating the wide use of oral rehydration solution (ORS). Significantly, the pioneer of modern architecture Balkrishna Doshi from Gujarat, who passed away only a day ago, figures as the first name in the Padma Vibhushan list. The list also includes tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and Indian-American mathematician Srinivas Varadhan. Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, has been conferred on industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, philanthropist and Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murthy and Telangana-based erudite Vedic scholar Swami Chinna Jeeyar among others.

Colonel Mahmoud Mohamed Abdelfattah Elkharasawy will commander the Egyptian Army contingent.

It is for the first time that an Egyptian leader has been invited on India's Republic Day.El-Sisi, who is on a four-day visit to India, and accompanied by a high-level delegation will witness the Republic Day Parade, following which he will attend an 'At-Home' reception by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Kartavya Path will be monitored with the help of around 150 CCTV cameras, which also has high-resolution cameras.The high-rise buildings around the Kartavya Path and parade routes will be closed from the evening of January 25. The movement of vehicles will be stopped on Kartavya Path, Janpath, India Gate, and Copernicus Marg from 4 am.

Security has been beefed up in several parts of the national capital ahead of the 74th Republic Day celebrations. Heavy barricading is placed at intersections, checkpoints with sniffer dogs, and metal detectors. About 6,000 jawans have been deployed for security for the January 26 parade, which includes the paramilitary forces, and NSG apart from Delhi Police.

Celebrating Republic Day in a befitting manner is the bounden duty of all constitutional authorities and it cannot be skipped by the state government, the Telangana high court said on Wednesday while directing the state administration to hold the ceremonial parade at any place of its choice. Following the HC order, the Telangana government has decided to hold a guard of honour, officials said.

President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said the Constitution reflects "the spirit of India" and added that India succeeded as a democratic Republic because the Constitution served as a source of unity. In her maiden Republic Day-eve address, Murmu said the nation owes a great deal of gratitude to BR Ambedkar, the head of the Drafting Committee, as well as jurist BN Rau who prepared the Constitution's initial draft.

The BJP on Wednesday welcomed the High Court of Telangana directing the State government to conduct Republic Day celebrations in a grand manner, with a ceremonial parade, and attacked the BRS government for not organising the parade as per tradition. State BJP president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar alleged that the court directive to conduct the celebration with a parade is "a slap on the face" of the ruling BRS.