Lucknow, Nov 5 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh has achieved the top spot in the Veergatha Project 4.0 and surpassed all other states with an impressive 45.2 lakh student nominations. This achievement sets a new benchmark in promoting respect for bravery and encouraging creativity and motivation among students.
Uttar Pradesh's performance in this year's Veergatha Project has been tremendous under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, with a record 45,24,559 nominations. This is a remarkable increase from last year’s tally of 39 lakh nominations.
The success is a result of the collective efforts from all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh, ensuring widespread participation across the state.
In the rankings for Veergatha 4.0, Delhi, which once held the top position, has slipped to second place with 18,08,556 nominations. Similarly, Bihar got third place with 13,91,187 nominations. Uttar Pradesh has outperformed Delhi by a massive margin of 27,16,003 nominations. It has outpaced Bihar by 31,33,372 nominations. This is a new national record, says an official release.
Every district in Uttar Pradesh contributed to the surge in student nominations in what is being viewed as one of the most remarkable features. In fact, 18 districts from Uttar Pradesh are now among the top 50 districts nationwide with the highest participation. These include Pilibhit (2,92,756), Bulandshahr (2,68,852), Sant Kabir Nagar (2,35,934), Lakhimpur Kheri (1,32,414), and Siddharthnagar (1,24,950), among others.
Other prominent districts that made it to the top 50 are Hardoi (1,22,973), Lucknow (1,19,908), Maharajganj (1,14,227), Prayagraj (1,12,041), and Varanasi (1,04,460). Districts such as Chitrakoot (95,583), Sambhal (92,953), and Unnao (89,358) also contributed significantly to this achievement.
The Veergatha Project 4.0, launched by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education in 2021 under the Gallantry Awards Portal (GAP), aims to connect students with the inspiring stories of brave soldiers.
Students from classes 1 to 12 were encouraged to participate in creative activities centred around bravery award winners, including poetry, essays, storytelling, painting, and video competitions.
This year, online nominations were open from September 16 to October 31, 2024, with participation from students across all schools in Uttar Pradesh. According to Sandeep Singh, the Minister of State for Basic Education (Independent Charge), the record-breaking participation reflects the widespread enthusiasm and respect for the armed forces and the state's commitment to nurturing creativity and courage among its young learners.