FirstUp: Republic Day parade in New Delhi, Maratha quota protests in Mumbai... Big news today

After days of heavy news, Indians are all set to welcome a long weekend. All thanks to Republic Day, which falls on Friday this year, also making it the only national holiday when banks will be closed. Apart from the 75th Republic Day parade at the majestic Kartavya Path in New Delhi, other notable headlines expected today are the Karnataka government’s “Constitution Awareness” programme, Maratha quota protests in Mumbai, and six hours water cut in Bengaluru. 75th Republic Day parade in New Delhi The Republic Day 2024 parade is set to commence at 10.30 am today, following the route from Vijay Chowk to Kartavya Path. The venue can accommodate approximately 77,000 people, with 42,000 seats reserved for the general public. The twin themes this year’s parade are “Viksit Bharat” and “Bharat – Loktantra ki Matruka (India – the Mother of democracy). [caption id=“attachment_13655562” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] NCC cadets during the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade 2024, in Jammu, Wednesday. PTI[/caption] French president Emmanuel Macron is the chief guest. He arrived at Jaipur airport on 25 January and visited prominent landmarks like Amber Fort and Hawa Mahal. He also held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For the first time, all-women tri-services group will partake in the parade. The contingent comprises women troops from the Army’s military police and personnel from the other two services. UN PGA to attend Republic Day parade in Maharashtra The President of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis will participate as a state guest in the Republic Day parade of Maharashtra on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_13642092” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] UNGA President Dennis Francis arrives in New Delhi on a visit to India. Source:X/@MEAIndia[/caption] For those unversed, the UN PGA is on a five-day visit to India which commenced on Monday. Maratha quota activist to launch indefinite fast Quota activist Manoj Jarange will sit on an indefinite hunger strike for the reservation demand in Mumbai. The 40-year-old has been demanding the issuance of a blanket Kunbi (OBC) caste certificate to all Marathas in the state. He had earlier said, “About two crore to 2.5 crore people from the Maratha community will come to Mumbai. Marathas will show their strength on 26 January.” Water cut in Bengaluru The water supply will be disrupted for six hours today in several regions. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewarage Board (BWSSB) has undertaken valve repair work near Chandra Layout, west Bengaluru. Karnataka’s Constitution Awareness programme Karnataka government is organising a state-wide “Constitution Awareness Jatha” (mass awareness) starting today to 23 February, to mark the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian constitutions. A day to remember

• The Constitution of India comes into force, forming a Republic. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as the first President of India. Observed as Republic Day in India 1950.
• Foundation of UT Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
• Hindi became the official language of India in 1965.
• In 1930, the Indian National Congress declared 26 January as the day for ‘Poorna Swaraj’ or Independence Day.
• 20 years since massive earthquake in Gujarat killed 25,000 people and injured 166,000.
• Birth anniversary of physicist and academic Nobel laureate Polykarp Kusch.
• The Battle of Talikota was fought between the Vijayanagara Empire and the Islamic sultanate of the Deccan in 1565, with the later being the winner.
• The world’s largest diamond ever, the Cullinan weighing 3,106.75 carats was found at the Premier Mine in South Africa in 1905.
• In 1998, US president Bill Clinton denied having had ‘sexual relations’ with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.