New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS): The youth are future heroes of India and they will play a major role in making India a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday, felicitating the Super-100 winners of Veer Gatha 4.0 - an event for students to pay tribute to gallantry award winners and freedom fighters.
These Super-100 are among the 10,000 Special Guests, who will be witnessing the Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path on Sunday. Among the 100 winners, 66 are girls from different parts of the country.
Terming a sense of national pride as the most crucial aspect for the development of any country, the Defence Minister said, “We have a major young population of about 50 crore youth. How can a country with such creative minds not develop?”
He said, “India’s stature has grown on the global stage due to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dynamic leadership. Today, when we speak on any international forum, the whole world listens. This has been made possible due to the hard work of every Indian, including our brave soldiers, scientists and young ignited minds.”
Rajnath Singh exhorted students to continue taking inspiration from bravehearts such as freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla Khan and courageous soldiers, whose bravery and sacrifices will never be forgotten.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan emphasised that initiatives like Veer Gatha educate school students about the valour and sacrifices of the brave gallantry award winners while nurturing the creativity of young minds.
Veer Gatha is a competition in which 1.76 crore students from over 2.5 lakh schools took party by engaging in activities such as drawing, painting, and essay writing, paying heartfelt tributes to the heroes of India's freedom struggle for their service and sacrifice to the nation.
Its objective is to connect the youth with the glorious history of the country’s bravehearts and instil values of patriotism, grit and national pride, inspiring students to contribute to the nation’s progress.
During the event, Param Vir Chakra Awardee Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar shared his inspiring experience from the 1999 Kargil War, urging students to embody the values of bravery, selflessness and integrity in their lives.
“True bravery lies not only in combat but in standing up for what is right in everyday life,” he said, inspiring the young participants.