PM to name 21 Andaman islands after PVC awardees tomorrow

During the programme scheduled for 23 January—observed as Parakram Diwas—PM Modi will also unveil the model of the National Memorial dedicated to Netaji to be built on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep.

The Modi government is kickstarting India’s Republic Day celebrations on January 23 with a range of events and activities planned over the next week. (Representational image/PTI)

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As many as 21 largest unnamed islands of Andaman & Nicobar Islands will be named after India’s 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees next week in a ceremony to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via videoconferencing, the PMO said Saturday.

During the programme scheduled for 23 January—observed as Parakram Diwas—PM Modi will also unveil the model of the National Memorial dedicated to Netaji to be built on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep.

The Modi government is kickstarting India’s Republic Day celebrations on January 23 with a range of events and activities planned over the next one week.

The largest unnamed island will be named after India’s first Param Vir Chakra awardee Major Somnath Sharma, who received the award posthumously in 1950. He was killed for his actions in defending the Srinagar airport from Pakistani raiders in 1947.

Other islands will be named after the other 20 PVC awardees, including Subedar and Hony Captain (then Lance Naik) Karam Singh, 2nd Lt Rama Raghoba Rane; Naik Jadunath Singh; Company Havildar Major Piru Singh; Capt GS Salaria; Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Dhan Singh Thapa; Subedar Joginder Singh; Major Shaitan Singh, Lance Naik Albert Ekka, among other PVC awardees.

“This step will be an everlasting tribute to our heroes, several of whom had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the nation,” the PMO said in a statement.

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