In a ceremony held on Monday to commemorate Param Vir Chakra awardees, Prime Minister Narendra Modi named the 21 largest unidentified islands of Andaman and Nicobar after them.
PM Modi also unveiled a model of the Netaji National Memorial, which will be built on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, formerly known as Ross Islands. Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the ceremony in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
On November 3, 1947, Major Somnath Sharma, the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, was killed in combat while fighting Pakistani infiltrators near Srinagar Airport.
The islands have been named in honor of the following 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees: Major Somnath Sharma; Subedar and Hony Captain (then Lance Naik) Karam Singh, MM; 2nd Lt. Rama Raghoba Rane; Nayak Jadunath Singh; Company Havildar Major Piru Singh; Capt GS Salaria; Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Dhan Singh Thapa; Subedar Joginder Singh; Major Shaitan Singh; CQMH. Abdul Hamid; Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore; Lance Naik Albert Ekka; Major Hoshiar Singh; 2nd Lt. Arun Khetrapal; Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon; Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran; Naib Subedar Bana Singh; Captain Vikram Batra; Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey; Subedar Major (then Rifleman) Sanjay Kumar; and Subedar Major Retd (Hony Captain) Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav.
In 2021, the government declared January 23 as Parakram Diwas to commemorate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary.
Keeping in mind the historical significance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and to honor Netaji’s memory, the Prime Minister renamed Ross Islands Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep during his visit to the Island in 2018. Neil Island and Havelock Island were renamed Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep, respectively.
“Giving due respect to the real-life heroes of the country has always been accorded the highest priority by the Prime Minister. Going ahead with this spirit, it has now been decided to name the 21 largest unnamed islands of the island group after 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees,” the statement from the PMO read.
The largest unidentified island will be given the name of the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, the second recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, and etc.
This step will be a lasting tribute to our heroes, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the nation’s sovereignty and integrity.
In the meantime, on the celebrations of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Leaders of Parties in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Members of Parliament, Former Members of Parliament, and other dignitaries will pay floral tributes at the portrait of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Parliament House’s Central Hall.
On January 23, 1978, the then-President of India, N Sanjiva Reddy, unveiled a portrait of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Central Hall of Parliament House.
According to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, floral tributes were recognized as an effective medium for spreading greater knowledge and awareness about the lives and contributions of these towering national icons among the country’s youth.
As a result, the Lok Sabha Secretariat’s Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) has launched the ‘Know Your Leaders’ program.
Netaji, who was born on January 23, 1897, was a pivotal figure in India’s freedom struggle.
The Azad Hind Fauj was founded by Subhash Chandra Bose. While there is some debate about Bose’s death in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, the Central Government confirmed his death in an RTI (Right to Information) request in 2017.
On the 125th anniversary of Netaji’s birth, the Prime Minister unveiled a hologram statue of the freedom fighter at India Gate in Delhi last year.
