Significance of Republic Day of India
Posted on: 26/Jan/2017 10:59:22 AM
India celebrates its 68th Republic Day today. Republic Day is celebrated to honor the day when its Constitution came into force. Before the Constitution, India was governed according to the document called Government of India Act (1935). The Indian Constituent Assembly adopted the new constitution on 26 November 1949. This Constitution then came into effect on 26 January 1950 completing India�s transition towards becoming an independent republic.
By accepting the new constitution, India became functional as a democratic government system.
It was on this day in the year 1930 that the Declaration of Indian Independence called Purna Swaraj was proclaimed by the Indian National Congress. It formed India�s stand in opposition to the Dominion status offered by the British Regime. Republic Day therefore is a day of pride for Indians as it reminds them of the long freedom movement which led to India�s independence in 1947.
The chairman of the committee that drafted the constitution was the great Dr B R Ambedkar who was also the principle architect of the Constitution. The committee prepared a draft constitution and submitted it to the Assembly on 4 November 1947. This was followed by 166 days of open public sessions spread over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 18 days. Finally, on 24 January 1950, after many deliberations and some modifications, two hand-written copies of the document were produced and the 308 members of the Assembly signed on them. Two days later, the Constitution of India came into effect throughout the nation.
