National War Memorial: Now, one more pilgrimage place for Indians, says Def Min

February 25, 2019 19:09

The inauguration of the sprawling National War Memorial is a "landmark event" and the county now has "one more pilgrimage place" where citizens can come to pay homage to our brave soldiers, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Monday.

Addressing a gathering of ex-servicemen at the National Stadium, she also said that there was "always an inexorable requirement to have our own war memorial" to pay tribute to soldiers who have laid down their lives since Independence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the memorial on Monday, spread over 40 acres in the India Gate complex here, by lighting the flame positioned at the bottom of the stone-made obelisk.

Modi also addressed the ex-servicemen at the event.

"It has been wonderfully designed such that it homogenously merges with the surrounding, giving an impression that it existed ever since long. We can proudly say there is one more pilgrimage place for we Indians. We expect every citizen will pay a visit to this memorial to pay homage to our brave soldiers," she said.

The memorial pays tribute to soldiers who laid down their lives defending the nation during the Indo-China War in 1962, Indo-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Srilanka and in the Kargil Conflict in 1999.

"After World War I and the conflict in Aghanistan-Waziristan, a memorial was built in the pre-Independence era in the form of the India Gate. In 1972, the Amar Jwan Jyoti was built underneath it to commemorate the Indo-Pak conflict of 1971," Sitharaman said.

Post-Independence, more than 25,000 soldiers have laid their lives in our national interest, defending the sovereignty and integrity of the nation, she said.

"There was always an inexorable requirement of having our own war memorial to pay tribute to our soldiers killed in the Indo-China War in 1962, Indo-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka and in the Kargil Conflict in 1999," she said.

It also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made supreme sacrifice in the UN Peace Keeping Missions, during Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations, counter-insurgency operations and Low Intensity Capital Operation, the minister said.-- PTI

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

ED recovers Rs 35 cr from domestic help of J'khand minister's secretary

The premises are alleged to be of the domestic help of Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam's personal secretary Sanjiv Lal.

Hamas accepts Qatari-Egypt ceasefire plan for Gaza

Thousands of people flee eastern Rafah after Israel orders people to evacuate as fears of a full-blown military assault on the city sheltering more than one million displaced people grow.

New all-in-one vaccine may prove effective against all coronaviruses

The research published in 'Nature Nanotechnolog' on Monday is based on a new approach to vaccine development called "proactive vaccinology", where scientists build a vaccine before the disease-causing pathogen even emerges, which has...

Saudi Smash TT: Manika shocks World No 2 Wang

Manika Batra shocked World No. 2 Wang Manyu of China to secure the biggest win of her singles career.

Bomb threats: HC seeks police's school evacuation plan

Justice Subramonium Prasad said though police have filed a status report listing the standard operating procedure for bomb detection and disposal squads and the guidelines to deal with bomb threats in schools, they have not submitted...