U.P’S REPUBLIC DAY TABLEAU ADJUDGED BEST

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh’s tableau at this year’s Republic Day parade was adjudged the best and was awarded by Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday, the defence ministry said.

In total 32 tableaux -- 17 from state and union territories, nine from Union ministries, departments and paramilitary forces, and six from the defence ministry -- were part of this year’s Republic Day parade .

The theme of Uttar Pradesh’s tableau was ‘Ayodhya: Cultural Heritage of Uttar Pradesh’. The cultural heritage of ancient holy town Ayodhya, replica of a Ram temple, glimpse of ‘Deepotsav’ and various stories from Ramayana epic were depicted in the tableau.

According to a statement by the UP government, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the tableau portraying the Ram temple has made the state proud.

Director (information and public relations) Shishir said the achievement was the result of teamwork and the combined efforts of the UP government and the people of the state. UP additional chief secretary Navneet Sehgal said, “Our tableau showcased the ancient heritage of Ayodhya, revered by countless people across the country.”

“The tableau of Tripura was adjudged the second best. It depicted promotion of ecofriendly tradition for achieving self-reliance (aatmanirbhar) in socio-economic parameters,” the Defence ministry’s statement noted. Uttarakhand’s tableau on the theme ‘Dev Bhoomi -- The Land of the Gods’ was adjudged third among the states and union territories, it mentioned.