HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday launched Centre’s Vidya Veerta Abhiyan to encourage 1,000 educational institutions to display portraits of war heroes on campus. As part of this campaign, universities and schools will dedicate a 15x20 feet wall on campus to display portraits of Param Veer Chakra awardees. Javadekar clarified that the Centre will not fund this campaign, but this will be done by institutions on voluntary basis with money collected by students and teachers. “It is important that we have portraits of such soldiers in our universities to create passion and enthusiasm among the youngsters,” he said after which he presented portraits of war heroes to heads of IIT Delhi and Delhi University and representatives of JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia and Central University of Jammu. At the event, the minister condemned the beheading of the two soldiers by Pakistan, saying: “The condemnable and barbaric act by Pakistan has been carried out after ignoring all indicators of humanity. Even war has few principles but they do not follow any principle of humanity.The entire country is anguished.” Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre was also present at the event.
