The Indian soldier, who laid his life fighting for the Indian flag, will finally have a memorial in the national Capital to commemorate his gallantry. Acceding to a long-pending demand of the armed forces, the government on Wednesday approved a Rs 500- crore project for building a National War Memorial and a National War Museum near India Gate in memory of over 22,500 soldiers who laid down their lives post-Independence.
The total time for completion of the entire project at Princess Park, on the north side of India Gate, here is estimated to be five years. Post-Independence, more than 22,500 soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice in national interests and in defence of the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
However, even after 69 years of Independence, no memorial to commemorate the martyrs has been constructed till date. The India Gate was built by the British after World war I in memory of such Indian soldiers who laid their lives fighting for the British Empire, as India then was part of it. Christened initially as War Memorial Arch, this monument was renamed as India Gate after Independence.
Post-1971 war, a flame was lit inside India Gate to commemorate those soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice after Independence. This particular enclosure with flame is called – Amar Jawan Jyoti (Immortal Soldier’s Flame).
With this decision of the Cabinet, a long-pending demand of the armed forces has been redressed, an official statement released after the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said. It has been decided that the project will be monitored by an empowered Steering Committee chaired by Defence Secretary and assisted by a dedicated project management team, to ensure that the proposed project is completed within scheduled time- frame.
Post commissioning, a management body will be formed for maintenance of the National War Memorial and the Museum. “This government will be establishing a war memorial and a museum with a deep sense of gratitude to honour those brave soldiers, who laid down their lives. The memorial will promote a sense of patriotism in the minds of visitors, and will provide an opportunity to citizens of this vast nation, to express their token sense of gratitude to the brave soldiers, who laid down their lives for the mother land,” the statement said.