Punjab Regiment, ITBP receive R-Day parade best marching trophies

The Punjab Regiment and the ITBP were today presented the Republic Day best marching contingent trophies by the Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here.
The trophies were received by Punjab Regiment's Brigadier Sanjeev Soni, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General RK Pachnanda at a simple function held at the South Block.
Congratulating the winners, Sitharaman said the marching contingents on Rajpath on the occasion of the Republic Day inspire the people.
Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre, Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra attended the function.

The Punjab Regiment, one of the oldest formations of the Indian Army, bagged the best marching contingent trophy in the armed forces category after a gap of 25 years. The last time it won the trophy was in 1993.
"Winning this prestigious trophy is a great moment for us. The contingent put in seven months' practice to achieve the feat," said Brigadier Soni, the Commandant of the Punjab Regiment Centre.

Pachnanda said the trophy was a "tribute" to the over 8,999-strong force that worked day and night under inhospitable conditions to protect the borders of the nation.
The ITBP, the Sino-India border guarding force, made a return to the national event after two years as part of a new policy to rotate various paramilitary contingents to keep the event time short. The 148-member squad was led by Assistant Commandant Akshay Deshmukh.

"The contingent represented all formations of the force comprising members from almost all units," ITBP spokesperson second-in-command Vivek Kumar Pandey said.
This is the 6th time that the force has won the trophy.
The paramilitary force, under the Home Ministry, is primarily tasked to guard the 3,488-km-long China border. It renders various duties in the internal security domain, including anti-Naxal operations.