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On the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid homage to the fallen heroes of the Kargil War in a program organized at Gandhi Park here. The Chief Minister also honoured the families of the fallen heroes of the Kargil War.
The Chief Minister said that our brave soldiers wrote a new definition by protecting Mother India in the Kargil war. Dhami also said that the indomitable courage and valour of the Indian Army was reverberating against country's enemies in Kargil. "They mark the pride and glory of the tricolour," he said. The Chief Minister said that the whole world recognized the courage of the Indian Army because of the bravery shown by the soldiers who drove the infiltrators out of the border. The nation will always remember the sacrifices made by the brave soldiers to protect the country's borders in the Kargil war, he said. The Chief Minister said that this victory saga of Kargil is also incomplete without the heroes of Uttarakhand and the sacrifice of its 75 sons. "These heroic acts will never be forgotten. People here believe that patriotism is the best of all devotions," he said. The Chief Minister said, "I myself hail from a military family and my relationship with the army is a relationship of intimacy. The tales of patriotism I heard from my father influenced me a lot during my childhood and instilled in me the feeling of complete devotion to the nation. I have seen the struggle of a soldier and his family since childhood." The Chief Minister said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister at the time of the Kargil war. "We have won wars and won in diplomacy at the global level. Atal ji made arrangements for the last rites of the fallen heroes in their native village with state honours," he recalled. The Chief Minister said that today with the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the army is not only becoming more capable and stronger than before, but its fame is also increasing. "While our government is emphasizing on the modernization of the army on one hand, it is also increasing the facilities which are provided to the soldiers and their families. The Prime Minister is continuously motivating the soldiers and this is the reason why the army is giving a befitting response to its enemies," he said. The Government of India has been working to strengthen the army at every level and in this series, a multifaceted plan like the Agnipath scheme is also implemented. The scheme has been given unprecedented support by the youth and the army has received a record number of applications. This enthusiasm shows that our young generation is not only dedicated to the service of the nation but is also fully conscious of nation-building, he said. The Chief Minister said that at this time the country is celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of its independence and in this Amrit Kaal, we have new goals, new resolutions and many challenges in front of us. At this time, we have to fix our goals and take a pledge to achieve them and overcome the challenges that come in the way of this achievement, he said. Uttarakhand will play an important role in the development journey on which our country is moving forward. The Chief Minister said that our aim is to make Uttarakhand the best state in the country. The journey of development is the collective journey for all of us in which everyone has to take a pledge to develop together, he added. The Chief Minister said that the State Government was committed to the welfare of the ex-servicemen and the dependents of the fallen heroes. A member of the family of fallen heroes is being employed by the government according to his merit. An unprecedented increase has been made in the lump sum and annuity given by the Uttarakhand government to the soldiers decorated with gallantry medals of the state. In the memory of the martyrs of the state, a state-of-the-art and full-fledged 'Shaurya Sthal' (Military Dham) is being constructed in Guniyalgaon, Dehradun, in which the names of all the martyrs of the state will be inscribed. The target has been set to complete the construction work in December 2023. An ex-gratia grant of Rs 10,000,00 has been allowed to the widows/dependents of soldiers who died in various wars, frontier skirmishes and internal security. The Government of Uttarakhand provides residential assistance of Rs 2 Lakh to war widows / war-crippled soldiers, he said. Uttarakhand is one of the few states providing such facility where 25 percent exemption in stamp duty has been allowed to serving/ex-servicemen on purchase of immovable property worth 25 lakhs, he said. Uttarakhand is the only state to make such an appointment, where the block representatives are being appointed and given honorarium to the ex-servicemen. Their honorarium has been made Rs 8000 per month. Their main task is to contact the retired soldiers and military widows of their area and solve their problems and also to give information about all the facilities available to them. (ANI)
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