Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur received the 'Victory Flame' at Mandi today that illuminated from the National War Memorial, New Delhi on July, 14 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas.Paying his rich tributes to the brave martyrs of the nation, he said this is a special occasion to remember the strong determination and courage of our Jawans who fought for the integrity and pride of the nation. He said that four brave soldiers were conferred upon the Paramvir Chakra for Operation Vijay, out of which Captain Vikram Batra and Havildar Sanjay Kumar belonged to Himachal Pradesh. In all, 527 soldiers of the country sacrificed their lives for the cause of the nation and 52 of them were from Himachal Pradesh including 12 from district Mandi.The Chief Minister said that the Kargil Vijay Diwas is being celebrated across the country and on this occasion, we renew our resolve to safeguard the honour of the tricolour.
This celebration would surely evoke feeling of nationalism and patriotism trough nationwide campaigns especially amongst youth.Jai Ram said that the state government is sensitive towards the soldiers and their families. The petrol pumps and gas agencies have been distributed to 28 dependents of the Kargil martyrs. The state government has also taken a decision to provide financial assistance of Rs. 20 lakh to the families of the martyrs and rupees five lakh to the injured. Commanding Officer of the Pandoh Army Camp Col. N.K. Sharma informed that the Victory Flame would traverse through eleven towns and cities to finally culminate at Dras in Jammu and Kashmir, where the flame will be merged with eternal flame of the Kargil War Memorial.MLAs Col. Inder Singh, Vinod Kumar and Inder Singh Gandhi, senior Army officers, NCC cadets and public representatives were also present on the occasion.