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IAF Day parade to be held in Prayagraj this year
The IAF day celebrations will commence more than a week before the parade at Prayagraj, with an air display near Bhojtal lake in Bhopal on September 30
NEW DELHI: This year’s Indian Air Force (IAF) Day parade will be held at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh in line with the government choosing to hold major defence events outside the national capital, officials aware of the matter said on Friday. The IAF will celebrate its 91st anniversary on October 8, 2023.
“Keeping with the new tradition of hosting the Air Force Day celebrations in different parts of the country, this year’s parade and air display will be held in Prayagraj,” the IAF said in a statement. The army and the navy have also begun celebrating their key events outside Delhi. The IAF Day parade was held in Chandigarh last year, while the fly-past took over the city’s Sukhna lake.
“The ceremonial parade would be conducted at Air Force Station, Bamrauli and the air display would be conducted over the Sangam area, in the vicinity of the Ordnance Depot Fort in Prayagraj. The scenic surroundings would add to the appeal of the stream of aircraft flying-by in close formation,” the statement added.
The IAF day celebrations will commence more than a week before the parade at Prayagraj, with an air display near Bhojtal lake in Bhopal on September 30.
Key conferences of the armed forces, including the Combined Commanders’ Conference, have also been held outside New Delhi after the NDA government came to power nine years ago.
For instance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 1 assessed the operational readiness of the armed forces in the backdrop of the lingering border row with China, carried out a security review, and asked the military to stay prepared for new and emerging threats, at the Combined Commanders’ Conference held in Bhopal.
Before that, on March 6, defence minister Rajnath Singh addressed the inaugural session of a top navy meeting on board India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, with the move bringing into sharper focus the country’s steps towards achieving self-reliance in the defence manufacturing sector.
