Modi to unveil war memorial in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today inaugurate the National War Memorial near India Gate that has been built to commemorate the valour and sacrifice of armed forces personnel who laid down their lives in the service of the nation after independence.Since independence, more than 25,000 personnel have been martyred during the Indo-China War in 1962, the Indo-Pakistan wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, the Indian Peace Keeping Force operations in Sri Lanka and the conflict in Kargil in 1999.The National War Memorial also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made supreme sacrifices in UN peace-keeping missions, Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, counter insurgency operations and Low Intensity Conflict Operations (LICO).“It is a tribute to our fallen heroes and the bravest of the brave. It epitomises a rich saga of courage, valour and selfless sacrifice made by our heroes in the rich military tradition,” Lt Gen P S Rajeshwar, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, said at a special media briefing.The prime minister will inaugurate the memorial by lighting the eternal flame and laying wreaths. All the traditional wreath laying will be done at the National War Memorial now though the Amar Jawan Jyoti would still remain there, Rajeshwar said.“I am sure the future generation will be inspired by the National War Memorial and it will help inculcate a sense of belonging and national pride,” he added.Built at a cost of Rs171 crore, the memorial has a 15.5m tall obelisk with an eternal flame and 16 circular walls of honour on which the names of 25,942 martyrs have been carved on granite tablets. The pattern of the walls symbolises the ancient Indian war formation “Chakravyuh”.