Second time after 2015, Centre rejects Bengal’s R-Day tableau on Kanyashree

Kolkata: The Bengal government’s tableau based on the theme Kanyashree has been rejected by the Centre for display at the Republic Day programme 2024 to be held in New Delhi.

This is the second time after 2015 that the state government’s tableau on the Kanyashree theme has been turned down by the Defence Ministry.

However, in a recent communication to the state Chief Secretary, the Ministry of Defence has invited the state’s tableau to be displayed in Bharat Parv which will be organised at Red Fort, New Delhi from January 23 to 31, 2024.

The letter further states that the fabrication of the tableau can be undertaken at Rashtriya Rangshala Camp near Kendriya Vidyalaya number 2 & APS Colony in the capital. For the fabrication of tableaux, one tractor and trailer will be provided by the Ministry of Defence.

“The state has to make an application for the display of the tableau at Bharat Parv. We are yet to decide whether we will go forward with it,” a senior official of Nabanna said.

There is an expert committee of the Defence Ministry that takes the call on the display of tableau at the Republic Day Parade at ‘Kartavya Path.’

Several steps are followed for the final selection. It is learnt that after the completion of the design examination exercise, the state was not called for a model demonstration.

According to sources, in Kartavya Path there were two themes for 2024: “Bharat-Mother of Democracy” and

“Bikashit Bharat”. The Kanyashree-based tableau of the state was based on the second theme.

“The Kanyashree has been the trendsetter following which a similar project ‘Beti Bachao Beti Parao’ was rolled out by the Centre. So, the decision is politically motivated. The Centre will never allow Kanyashree to be brought into limelight,” a senior Trinamool Congress leader said.

In 2022, the state’s tableau theme based on the combination of 75 years of Indian Independence and 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose faced the same fate.

In 2020, the state had given three proposals on tableaux for the January 26 parade — Kanyashree, Save Green, Stay Clean and Jol Dhoro Jol Bhoro (Water Conservation and Rejuvenation) but all proposals were rejected. In 2018, the state’s tableau proposal was on Unity in Harmony but it too was rejected.

The Kanyashree is an initiative by the Bengal government to improve the life and status of girls by helping economically backward families with financial aid so that families do not arrange the marriage of the girl child before they attain the age of 18 years because of economic crisis. In June 2017, the United Nations honoured Kanyashree with the highest public service award having ranked best among 552 such social sector schemes across 62 countries that were nominated for the coveted award.

More than 81 lakh beneficiaries in the state have reaped benefits of the scheme and the money spent has been over Rs 16,000 crore.