INDIA. Mumbai: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually launched in New Delhi, a series of major events, organized by the Armed Forces and various other organizations of the Ministry of Defence, to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence(August 15), being celebrated as ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ on Friday.
Addressing the gathering, Rajnath Singh congratulated the Ministry and the Armed Forces for organizing various events across the country which will instil a sense of national pride among the people. He stated that events represent the Indian ethos of ‘unity in diversity.
He paid homage to all the brave hearts who laid down their lives and defended the sovereignty and integrity of the country. Remembering Captain Vikram Batra who made the supreme sacrifice during the Kargil war of 1999, Singh said the bravery and deep-rooted passion of the gallant heroes will always be an inspiration for generations to come.
Reiterating the Government’s action plan to make India ‘AatmaNirbhar’, Singh said no stone is being left unturned to make the country self-reliant in defence manufacturing. He said the country’s dependency on imports has decreased considerably due to measures taken by the Government, including notifying two positive indigenization lists to promote self-reliance and defence exports. He also made special mention of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) Vikrant, the first aircraft carrier to be built in India, saying that it was a moment of immense pride for the entire nation when the aircraft carrier undertook its maiden sea voyage recently.
The events inaugurated by Singh included: Hoisting of National Flag at 75 Passes/Places: 75 teams of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) departed to unfurl the National Flag at 75 Important Passes and Places in the country. The most prominent among them is ‘Umlingla Pass’, which is the highest motorable road in the world at 19,300 feet, in Eastern Ladakh. The national tri-colour will also be unfurled at prominent infrastructure landmarks including Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, and Dhola Sadiya Bridge in the Northeast. The flag will be hoisted also in friendly foreign countries.
Hoisting of National Flag in Islands: The unfurling of National Flag at 100 islands Pan-India by Indian Coast Guard on August 15. Army Expedition: The expedition of Indian Army teams to scale 75 mountain passes. The passes include Saserla Pass in the Ladakh region, Stakpochan Pass in the Kargil region, Satopanth, Harshil, Uttarakhand, Phim Karnla, Sikkim and Point 4493, Tawang region of Arunachal Pradesh.
Cleaning of statues: To pay homage to the freedom fighters a campaign “Swatantra Senaniyon ko Naman” has been organized by the National Cadet Corps (NCC) under which cleanliness and maintenance of 825 statues adopted by 825 NCC Battalions, will be undertaken. Gallantrypedia module for Gallantry awards portal: A Gallantrypedia module of Awardees’ was launched (https://www.gallantryawards.gov.in/) to honor the Gallantry awardees and motivate people to interact with the portal.
Book on ‘Deeds of Gallantry’: A book ‘Deeds of Gallantry’, commemorating India’s victory in the 1971 war, was unveiled. It contains the details of 20 selected battles and highlights the valor of Indian soldiers. Defence Exports: To showcase and expand the defense export capabilities, Singh launched ‘Off the Shelf’ Export Ready Defence Products Portfolio beginning with Fast Interceptor Boat by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), a Transducer Manufacturing and Production facility developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to cater to the production of the wide range of Transducers and underwater equipment and oxygen concentrator developed by BEL.
Jan Sampark Abhiyan: An initiative for the Ex-servicemen was launched wherein a representative each of the respective Zila Sainik Board along with a representative of Indian Ex-Servicemen League, a recognized ESM association, will interact simultaneously with the ESM fraternity in 75 districts across the country. Rejuvenation of water bodies: Singh flagged off activities for rejuvenation of 75 water bodies across 62 Cantonments and inaugurated the work on the Patel Park Lake in Ambala Cantt in Haryana.
Chief of the Army Staff General MM Naravane, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, DRDO Chairman Dr. G Satheesh Reddy, Indian Coast Guard Director General K Natarajan, NCC Director General Lt. Gen Tarun Kumar Aich, Border Roads Organisation Director General Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhary and other senior civil and military officials were present on the occasion.
