On Monday, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated a new National War Memorial in the India Gate complex in New Delhi. He lit the flame which has been positioned at the bottom of the stone obelisk to pay homage to the soldiers who died in the line of duty. "Our armed forces are among the strongest in the world. They have always risen to every challenge in front of the nation and responded with their full strength", said PM Modi paying tribute to the soldiers who have given up their lives to defend the country and also launched a piercing political attack on the Congress at the event.
The 40 acres spread National War Memorial includes a central obelisk, an eternal flame, and six bronze murals depicting famous battles fought by the Army, the Air Force and the Navy. The design of the National War Memorial has a layout which consists of concentric circles, namely, the 'Amar Chakra' or Circle of Immortality, the 'Veerta Chakra' or Circle of Bravery, the 'Tyag Chakra' or Circle of Sacrifice, and the 'Rakshak Chakra' or Circle of Protection. Statues of 21 awardees of Param Veer Chakra have also been installed in the National War Memorial. The names of 25,942 fallen heroes, along with their rank and regiment, are inscribed in the 16 walls of the memorial. The names of the soldiers who died while on Indian Peace Keeping Force along with those killed in 1947, 1962, 1965, 1971 and 1999 have been inscribed on the memorial.
"This war memorial will keep reminding us, in years to come, of the valour of the soldiers and their dedicated service", said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.