In a first, an indigenous howitzer will be deployed for the ceremonial 21-gun salute at the upcoming 75th Independence Day ceremony at Red Fort next week along with British guns that have been traditionally used for the event, defence secretary Ajay Kumar said on Wednesday.The howitzer, a prototype of the advanced towed artillery gun system (ATAGS), has been designed and developed under the government’s Make in India initiative to strengthen the defence manufacturing sector. The use of the indigenously developed gun will reflect India’s capacity to develop arms and ammunition locally, he said.
The gun’s technical specifications have been tweaked for the ceremony.The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) began the ATAGS project in 2013 to replace older army guns with a modern 155 mm artillery gun. It partnered with two private firms, Bharat Forge Limited and Tata Advanced Systems Limited, for manufacturing the gun, which has a firing range of 48 km.Special invitees to the function include mortuary workers, anganwadi workers and street vendors, officials said. This is in line with the initiative taken during Republic Day 2022 to allow all sections to attend the event. The NCC cadets from across the country have also been invited to attend the event. “These cadets will be seated at ‘Gyan Path’ in front of the Red Fort’s ramparts in a geographical formation of the map of India. They will adorn local dresses, symbolising India’s cultural diversity, to carry forward the message of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat,’ the ministry said in a statement.