Republic Day Parade 2026Image Credit source: AI Image
India is going to celebrate its 77th Republic Day with a grand military parade, which will showcase the country’s military might, cultural diversity and technological progress. Continuing the tradition of the British era, the parade will start from Raisina Hills, pass through the duty path, pass through India Gate and end at the Red Fort. The objective of the event is to showcase military capability, promote patriotism, highlight various units of the armed forces and showcase gender diversity in the services. Do you have any idea how much this entire event costs? Do you know how much was spent on the historic celebration of the country’s first Republic Day? Let us give you complete information about it…
How much is spent on the country’s first Republic Day?
The Republic Day parade has been organized every year since independence and usually costs crores of rupees. Although recent figures are not available, according to reports the government spent Rs 320 crore in 2015. However, the cost was quite low in the initial years. When India celebrated its first Republic Day in 1950, the total expenditure was estimated to be around Rs 11,250 and later it was reported to be Rs 11,093. Over the years, its expenses continued to increase. According to a report in The Hindu, the expenditure on Republic Day increased to Rs 5,75,000 in 1956, Rs 17,12,000 in 1971, Rs 23,38,000 in 1973 and Rs 69,69,159 in 1988.
This is how the first Republic Day was celebrated
- Records accessed by PTI show that the Delhi administration celebrated the first Republic Day through simple celebrations at relief homes and rural schools. Children were given thalis as souvenirs, while sweets and toys were distributed to female prisoners.
- The files show that celebrations were largely decentralised, with special attention given to children, displaced families and women living in government institutions, reflecting the situation in a city recovering from the post-Partition turmoil.
- In rural areas of Delhi, Republic Day programs were organized by the district boards. Records record that plates were given to school children as souvenirs, while flags, poles and candles were provided to institutions to commemorate the occasion.
- Women prisoners living in relief homes were also included in the celebrations. The files of the office of the then Chief Commissioner of Delhi record that the Provincial Women’s Section organized functions in the Women’s Section Homes, where fruits, sweets and toys were distributed on January 26, 1950.
- For which an amount of Rs 750 was sanctioned, out of which approximately Rs 525 were spent and Rs 225 were left. Correspondence from March 1950 onwards shows that the remaining amount was allowed to be used for the Women’s Section Day celebrations later that year.
- The remaining amount was used to transport women to and from various homes, rent furniture and arrange refreshments for children. This expenditure was recorded under the head ‘Relief and Rehabilitation’.
- The women’s section homes mentioned in the files were part of a wider network of hostels and relief institutions set up in Delhi to rehabilitate displaced women and children after Partition. According to archival material, the office of the Provincial Women’s Section was located in P Block, New Delhi.
- At that time, in central Delhi, including Connaught Place and its surrounding areas, there were many women’s hostels that provided shelter, food and basic assistance to women affected by displacement.
- Taken together, these documents reveal that Delhi’s first Republic Day was celebrated through well-planned welfare activities supported by formal approval and budgetary monitoring rather than a grand event.