Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today gave away Best Tableaux awards for Republic Day Parade, 2020 in New Delhi. Assam's tableau which portrayed the unique craftsmanship and culture of the state has been chosen as the best tableau, followed by Odisha and Uttar Pradesh who were tied for the second position. Odisha's tableau depicted Lord Lingaraja's Rukuna Rath Yatra whereas the tableau of Uttar Pradesh showcased the state's cultural and religious heritage.

The tableaux of National Disaster Relief Force and Jal Shakti Mission were chosen as the best among the Ministries and Departments.

Central Public Works Department got the Special Prize for their tableau which based on the theme - Kashmir se Kanyakumari. 

Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Sarec announced today for step down and called for fresh elections, following weeks of rising tensions within his minority five-party coalition government. Mr Sarec's resignation came almost at the same time as Finance Minister Andrej Bertoncelj announced that he too would quit in a row over health care funding.

Mr Sarec, is Slovenia's youngest-ever Prime Minister. He was previously best known as a comedian and political satirist before he launched himself as an anti-establishment politician.

President Borut Pahor will now have to start talks with political parties to see whether any of them can form a new coalition that commands a Parliamentary majority and thus avoid a fresh poll.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give awards to meritorious cadets in a National Cadet Corps, NCC rally at Cariappa Parade ground in New Delhi today. He will inspect the Guard of Honour and review the March Past by various NCC contingents and will address the gathering. Along with cultural performance, NCC cadets will present before the Prime Minister their capabilities in fields such as adventure sports, music and performance arts.

The rally is a part of Republic day celebrations. Every year, hundreds of NCC cadets come to New Delhi for the Republic Day Camp.

Last year, Prime Minister while addressing the NCC rally had applauded their efforts in the relief and rescue operations during natural disasters as well as the efforts for promotion of initiatives such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Puducherry celebrated 71st Republic Day today.  Lt.Governor Dr. Kiran Bedi unfurled the National flag in a colorful function held at Oupalam Ground.  She inspected the Guard of Honor and presented awards and shields to the winners. This was followed by march-pasts by various contingents including police, Home Guard, Ex-service men, students, scouts and guides.

Tableaux depicting the achievements of various departments of the territorial administration besides cultural programmes were also presented to mark the occasion.

Chief Minister Narayanasamy along with his cabinet colleagues participated in the function. Assembly Speaker, MLAs, Chief Secretary, DGP, Secretaries to Govt, French Consulate General, Tri- Force Officers, Freedom Fighters and other dignitaries also participated in the function.

Puducherry celebrated 71st Republic Day today.  Lt.Governor Dr. Kiran Bedi unfurled the National flag in a colorful function held at Oupalam Ground.  She inspected the Guard of Honor and presented awards and shields to the winners. This was followed by march-pasts by various contingents including police, Home Guard, Ex-service men, students, scouts and guides.

Tableaux depicting the achievements of various departments of the territorial administration besides cultural programmes were also presented to mark the occasion.

Chief Minister Narayanasamy along with his cabinet colleagues participated in the function. Assembly Speaker, MLAs, Chief Secretary, DGP, Secretaries to Govt, French Consulate General, Tri- Force Officers, Freedom Fighters and other dignitaries also participated in the function.

Puducherry celebrated 71st Republic Day today.  Lt.Governor Dr. Kiran Bedi unfurled the National flag in a colorful function held at Oupalam Ground.  She inspected the Guard of Honor and presented awards and shields to the winners. This was followed by march-pasts by various contingents including police, Home Guard, Ex-service men, students, scouts and guides.

Tableaux depicting the achievements of various departments of the territorial administration besides cultural programmes were also presented to mark the occasion.

Chief Minister Narayanasamy along with his cabinet colleagues participated in the function. Assembly Speaker, MLAs, Chief Secretary, DGP, Secretaries to Govt, French Consulate General, Tri- Force Officers, Freedom Fighters and other dignitaries also participated in the function.

The Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government on Sunday launched its much-awaited 'Shiv Bhojan' scheme, which is aimed at providing a meal to the poor for just 10 rupees, on the occasion of the 71st Republic Day.

Under the scheme, which has been launched on a pilot basis, thalis or lunch plates would be available to people at designated centres/ canteens during a stipulated time in all the districts.

Launching of the scheme was one of the poll promises made by the Shiv Sena, which shares power with the NCP and Congress in a coalition government.

In Mumbai, district Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh inaugurated the "Shiv Bhojan Thali" canteen at the civic-run Nair Hospital.

The 62nd annual Grammy Awards take place in Los Angeles tonight. Billed as "music's biggest night", the ceremony is more like "music's longest day" - with festivities kicking off at lunchtime in LA and stretching out into the night.

Popstar Lizzo leads the nominations this year, with eight in total, including album and song of the year. Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X are close behind with six each.

All three represent a new vanguard of pop - charismatic and non-conformist, with songs that defined the last 12 months.

The Indian Federation Cup team today heaved a sigh of relief after the International Tennis Federation (ITF) shifted the Federation Cup matches from the Coronavirus-hit China to Kazakhstan.

 Concerned for its players' health due to a medical emergency in China, the All India Tennis Association (AITA) had written to the ITF, requesting the world governing body to consider either shifting the venue or postponing the tournament. The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Dongguan from 4th of next month.

After rejecting their request twice, the ITF finally intimated AITA this afternoon that matches have been shifted out of China. India will compete with China, Indonesia, Korea, Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan in the Asia/Oceania Group I contest.

Bharat Parv 2020, a festival to celebrate the spirit of India has begun at Red Fort ground in New Delhi. It will continue till 31st of this month. The objective of Bharat Parv is to encourage people to visit different tourism places of the country and to inculcate the spirit of ‘Dekho Apna Desh’.

AIR correspondent reports that

Bharat Parv have many attractions for public including display of Tableaux of the Republic Day parade, performance by armed forces bands and cultural Performances from different regions of the country.

 More than 50 food stalls, 79 handicrafts stalls and 27 theme pavilions have been setup. The theme of this year’s Bharat Parv is 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' and 'Celebrating 150 Years of Mahatma Gandhi.