US Prez as guest to all-women contingent drawn: 66th R-Day marked many firsts

New Delhi: The 66th Republic Day celebrations on Monday was marked by many firsts. Here are some of them: 1) It witnessed the first ever march by an all-women contingent drawn from the army, navy and air force. [caption id=“attachment_2065015” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] 2) A US President was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade for the first time. 3) The recently acquired long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft P-8I and the advanced air fighter MiG-29 K made their maiden appearance. 4) President Pranab Mukherjee and Obama arrived in different motorcades, a departure from the standard practice of arriving together. 5) CRPF’s anti-naxal special forces Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) marched on the Rajpath for the first time. PTI