NSG commandos not to perform shoulder to shoulder march-past this year on Republic Day 2021

New Delhi, Jan 14: This year, the National Security Guard (NSG), the elite force of India for counter-terror operations, has decided to make changes for the Republic Day parade as per the COVID-19 health protocols.

According to reports, NSG commandos will be marching with a distance of more than 1.5 metres from each other. Earlier, they used to march down Rajpath from shoulder to shoulder. The distance will be visible from a distance as NSG commandos will be following the COVID-19 protocols.

Nearly 40 per cent of the actual strength of the commandos will participate in the Republic Day parade as compared to the previous year.

A bunch of commandos along with senior Indian Army and Paramilitary officers reach Rajpath at 5 am in the morning every day and practice till 10 am.

"We reach here at 5 am and start our practice. It is a daily routine for us there is not much difference. After reaching Rajpath we practice again and again till our marching is flawless. Officers minutely observed every commando to make the march past flawless," a senior NSG official told reporters.

"This year on Republic Day, we will be having more vehicles than the previous year. People will see a different energy contingent along with modified specially designed vehicles which are to be used for anti-terror operations," the official added.