Republic Day 2020 parade: Centre rejects West Bengal's tableau proposal

New Delhi: Twenty-two proposals, 16 from states and union territories and six from central ministries — out of a total 56 have been short-listed for this Republic Day parade, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Ministry had received 32 tableau proposals from states and union territories and 24 from central ministries and departments.

“Out of these, 22 proposals, comprising 16 states/UTs and 6 ministries/departments, have finally been short-listed for participation in the Republic Day Parade 2020 after a series of five meetings,” a statement by the ministry said.

The West Bengal government’s proposal was rejected after an Expert Committee examined it in two rounds of meeting, it said.

“The tableau proposal of the West Bengal government was not taken forward for further consideration by the Expert Committee after deliberations in the second meeting.”

“It is pertinent to mention here that the tableau of the Government of West Bengal was short-listed for participation in the Republic Day Parade 2019 as an outcome of the same process,” it added.

There is a well-established system for selection of tableau for participation in the Republic Day Parade.

The Ministry of Defence invites proposals from all states, union territories, central ministries and departments.

The proposals are then evaluated in a series of meetings of the Expert Committee comprising eminent persons in the fields of art, culture, painting, sculpture, music, architecture, choreography, etc.

The Committee examines the proposals on the basis of theme, concept, design and its visual impact before making its recommendations, the statement said.

Due to time constraints, only a limited number of tableau can be short-listed for participation in the parade.

“The selection process in vogue leads to the participation of the best tableau in the parade,” the statement added.