Elaborate arrangements have been made for the 70th Republic Day celebrations across the country, especially in the national capital New Delhi, where the majestic parade will be held at the Rajpath.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the chief guest at the parade, which will be presided by the president of India, Ram Nath Kovind.

Carrying forward the tradition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tributes at the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial at the India Gate.

Besides the several contingents of the Indian Army and other forces, the parade will also have representations from various states and ministries of the government.

Follow highlights here:

11:45 am IST As parade ends, PM Modi greets crowd at Rajpath As the parade ended, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the huge crowd gathered at Rajpath for Republic Day celebrations. Republic Day 2019: ( ANI Photo )





11:30 am IST IAF planes flypast over Rajpath





11:20 am IST Subedar Major Ramesh A leads human pyramid on 9 motorcycles Subedar Major Ramesh A led a human pyramid of 33 people on 9 motorcycles.





11:17 am IST Motorcyclists showcase Yoga postures Motorcyclists showcase Yoga postures during Republic Day parade at Rajpath.





11:15 am IST Rahul Gandhi, Nitin Gadkari at Rajpath Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari are seen attending the Republic Day parade at Rajpath in Delhi.





11:07 am IST 26 children honoured with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puruskar 2019 26 children, six girls and 20 boys, were today honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puruskar 2019.





11:05 am IST Indo-Tibetan Border Police celebrates 70th Republic Day Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel celebrated 70th Republic Day at 18,000 feet and -30 degree Celsius in Ladakh





11:00 am IST Delhi tableau showcases Gandhiji’s association with Delhi and Birla House Tableau of Delhi showcases Gandhiji’s association with Delhi and Birla House, which is now known as Gandhi Smriti; Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his wife witness Republic Day parade at Rajpath. Tableau of Delhi showcases Gandhiji’s association with Delhi and Birla House. ( DD national )





10:55 am IST Karnataka tableau based 39th session of Indian National Congress held in Belagavi in 1924 Tableau of Karnataka is based on the 39th session of the Indian National Congress held in Belagavi in 1924, which was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi.





10:50 am IST Visuals of tableaux of different states Tableau of Punjab based on the theme of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. ( DD national ) Tableau of Andaman & Nicobar Islands ( DD national ) Tableau of Maharashtra ( DD national )





10:40 am IST Major Khushboo Kanwar leads contingent of Assam Rifles Maj Khushboo Kanwar, 30, and mother of a child, who lead a contingent of the Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary force in the country, was brimming with pride. “Leading an all-women contingent of the Assam Rifles is a matter of great honour and pride for me. We have practiced very hard...I am a daughter of a bus conductor from Rajasthan and if I can accomplish this, then any girl can fulfil her dream,” she told PTI on the sidelines of the media interaction.





10:35 am IST Lieutenant Bhavana Kasturi leads all-male Army Service Corps Lieutenant Bhavana Kasturi lead all-male Army Service Corps (ASC) contingent during the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath in New Delhi. Kasturi is be the first-ever lady officer to lead an all-male contingent in the Republic Day parade.





10:27 am IST BSF exchange sweets with their Bangladeshi counterparts On the occasion of 70th #republicdayindia, BSF exchange sweets with their Bangladeshi counterparts, at Fulbari, at Indo-Bangladesh border near Siliguri in West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/NjMll2gZec — ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2019





10:26 am IST K-9 Vajra-T commanded by Captain Devansh Bhutani As the parade began, K-9 Vajra-T, a self-propelled howitzer, was commanded by Captain Devansh Bhutani.





10:25 am IST T-90 (Bhishma) commanded by Captain Navneet Eric of 45 Cavalry T-90 (Bhishma), the main battle tank of the Indian Army, commanded by Captain Navneet Eric of 45 Cavalry.





10:07 am IST Commander Major General Rajpal Punia leads parade As India celebrates its 70th Republic Day, CDR Major Heneral Rajpal Punia led the parade at Rajpath.





10:06 am IST Flower shower by MI-17 helicopters During the 70th Republic Day celebrations, there was a flower shower by MI-17 helicopters.





10:05 am IST President Kovind awards Ashok Chakra to Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, a surrendered militant who became a soldier, was posthumously awarded India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra, on Republic Day for his courage during a fierce encounter in which six terrorists were killed in Kashmir last November. Wani belonged to an army unit raised 15 years ago with surrendered militants as an experiment to rewrite the rules of counter-terror operations in Kashmir. Republic Day 2019: Lance Naik Nazir Ahmed Wani, who lost his life while killing 6 terrorists in an operation in Kashmir, awarded the Ashok Chakra. Award was received by his wife and mother. ( ANI Photo )





9:57 am IST PM Modi greets Dr Manmohan Singh at Rajpath Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Dr.Manmohan Singh at Rajpath.





9:45 am IST PM Modi pays tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes at the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial at India Gate. Republic Day 2019: PM Modi pays tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti ( ANI Photo )





9:38 am IST Republic Day WhatsApp stickers WhatsApp rolled out stickers on the messaging late last year. WhatsApp Stickers has become one of the most popular features on the app. WhatsApp offers pre-installed stickers and allows users to download third-party ones as wel. There are WhatsApp stickers for every major occasion, one being India’s 70th Republic Day celebrated today. There are many Republic Day sticker packs available on WhatsApp which can be sent to wish people. Users can download these sticker packs from Google Play Store. Here’s how to send Republic Day WhatsApp stickers





9:33 am IST SWAT women commandos, anti-aircraft guns snipers deployed in Delhi SWAT women commandos, mobile hit teams, snipers are among the varied layers of security under which the national capital has been placed for the Republic Day celebrations. Elaborate measures, including deployment of anti-aircraft guns, were put in place to secure the airspace. Following the arrest of two suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) members, who were planning to carry out terror strikes in the city during the 70th Republic Day celebrations, Delhi had been placed under high-security cover to avoid any terror strike or untoward incident.





9:29 am IST Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel takes part celebrations in Raipur Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel took part in Republic Day 2019 celebrations in Raipur. Republic Day 2019: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel takes part celebrations in Raipur ( ANI Photo )





9:27 am IST Google marks India’s 70th Republic Day with a doodle Search giant Google Saturday dedicated a special doodle to mark India’s 70th Republic Day, which captured the country’s architectural and cultural legacy as well as its rich bio-diversity. The doodle with a 3D impression depicts the iconic facade of the grand Rashtrapati Bhavan in the backdrop, flanked by trees, reflecting the flora and fauna that resides on its sprawling campus. Republic Day 2019: Search giant Google Saturday dedicated a special doodle to mark India’s 70th Republic Day. ( Screengrab )





9:25 pm IST Yogi Adityanath at Republic Day celebrations in Lucknow Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath at Republic Day celebrations in Lucknow. ( Republic Day 2019: )





9:20 am IST Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari unfurl tricolour Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari unfurl the tricolour at their respective residences in Delhi. #RepublicDay2019 : Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari unfurl the tricolour at their respective residences in Delhi pic.twitter.com/QitEVFmRMJ — ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2019





9:18 am IST Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb unfurls national flag Unfurled our beloved national flag at @BJP4Tripura office in Agartala. #RepublicDay2019 pic.twitter.com/nDhCw7g1pW — Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) January 26, 2019





9:17 am IST Time to reiterate ideals of the Constitution: Capt. Amarinder Singh Greetings to all of you on the occasion of India's #70thRepublicDay. A time to remember & reiterate the ideals of the Constitution and to pledge to work towards strengthening the Indian Republic for the true spirit of federalism to flourish.#ਗਣਤੰਤਰਦਿਵਸ pic.twitter.com/6zT8YBUN8c — Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) January 26, 2019





9:15 am IST Rajnath Singh’s Republic Day greetings सभी भारतवासियों को #गणतंत्रदिवस की हार्दिक शुभकामनायें। Republic Day greetings to all the people of India. — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 26, 2019





9:13 am IST PM greets people on Republic Day Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people on the country’s 70th Republic Day on Saturday. “Happy Republic Day to all fellow Indians,” he tweeted. Happy Republic Day to all fellow Indians.



सभी देशवासियों को #गणतंत्रदिवस की शुभकामनाएं।



जय हिन्द! — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 26, 2019





9:09 am IST PM Modi to pay tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti Republic Day 2019 parade will begin at Rajpath at 9.50 am, prior to which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tribute at the Amar Jawan Jyoti.





9:07 am IST Republic Day celebrations in Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu on Saturday celebrated the 70th Republic Day with patriotic fervour as Governor Banwarilal Purohit unfurled the tricolour at the Marina Beach here. Purohit took the salute from the armed forces and other security agencies while Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and his ministers and large number of people enjoyed the colourful floats. District Collectors across the state unfurled the national flag and took salute from police contingents.





9:05 am IST ‘Go out and vote’: President Ram Nath Kovind President Ram Nath Kovind called upon all voters to cast their votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha poll, which, according to him, is only a milestone in the journey towards fulfilling people’s aspirations and building a developed India, even as he made a pitch for pluralism and gender equality.





9:02 am IST Significance of January 26 Republic Day commemorates the day when the Indian Constitution came into effect. This year shall be India’s 70th Republic Day. Post independence, the constitution was formulated by the drafting committee, whose chairman was Dr BR Ambedkar. The Constitution was adopted by the Indian Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, and came into effect on January 26, 1950, which completed India’s transition towards becoming an independent republic. The reason January 26 was chosen is because it was on this day in 1930 when Purna Swaraj, the Declaration of Indian Independence, was proclaimed by the Indian National Congress.





9:00 am IST 3,000 personnel deployed to manage route diversions The traffic police have deployed 3,000 personnel to manage route diversions and ensure a safe and secure passage for the visiting dignitaries. Delhi Police mounted high vigilance on the activities of suspected “bad” characters in view of the security requirements for an incident-free Republic Day and detained about 5,000 such people in the capital.





8:55 am IST Metro service to remain available Metro service shall remain available at all stations during the Republic Day parade. However, boarding and de-boarding will not be allowed at Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan from 5 am till 12 pm, Lok Kalyan Marg (Race Course) and Patel Chowk from 8.45 am to 12 pm.





8:50 am IST South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to be chief guest South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be the chief guest at the parade, which will be presided by the president of India, Ram Nath Kovind. Carrying forward the tradition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tributes at the Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial at the India Gate.





8:40 am IST Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal at celebrations in Bhubaneswar Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal at Republic Day 2019 celebrations in Bhubaneswar. Republic Day 2019: Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal at Republic Day 2019 celebrations in Bhubaneswar. ( ANI Photo )





8:34 am IST BJP president Amit Shah unfurled the tricolour at the party office BJP president Amit Shah unfurled the tricolour at the party office in Delhi. Republic Day 2019: BJP president Amit Shah unfurls the tricolour at Delhi party office. ( ANI Photo )





8:30 am IST Security tightened Mobile hit teams, anti-aircraft guns and sharpshooters have been deployed to keep a watch on the eight-km-long parade route from Rajpath to the Red Fort, besides the nearby localities. Thirty-six women commandos of the Delhi Police’s Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) unit, who were formally inducted in August last year, will also be part of the security arrangements.





8:25 am IST AP Governor ESL Narasimhan hoists tricolour in Vijayawada Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan hoisted the tricolour on Republic Day 2019 in Vijayawada. Republic Day 2019: Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan hoists tricolour on Republic Day 2019 in Vijayawada. ( ANI Photo/Twitter )





8:20 am IST Parade to begin at 9:50 am The Republic Day 2019 parade will start at 9.50 am from Vijay Chowk and proceed towards the Red Fort grounds through the Rajpath, India Gate, Tilak Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and Netaji Subhash Marg. The function at India Gate will begin at 9 am.



