Minister of State for Education and Tourism, Priya Sethi today paid rich tributes to first recipient of Param Vir Chakra of Post independence India Major Somnath Sharma here at Balidan Stambh.Major Somnath laid down his life while evicting Pakistani raiders from Srinagar Airport during 1947-48 war.The Minister recalled that Major Somnath Sharma was posthumously awarded independent India’s highest wartime gallantry award, Param Vir Chakra for his dauntless courage.MLA Rajesh Gupta, Brig (Retd) Anil Gupta, senior politicians Yudhvir Sethi and Harinder Gupta along with social workers and civil society members were present at the ceremony.Remembering the supreme sacrifice of Major Somnath Sharma, Priya said that the brave heart along with his men fought with audacious courage till their last breath and set an example of courage for generations to come.Priya said that the courage shown by Indian Army war heroes achieved horizons of heroism and they will always be remembered whenever countrymen embrace the Independence.“We shall always remember these heroes as it is because of their sacrifices that we feel safe,” the Minister asserted.The legacy of the heroes of the Nation like Major Somnath Sharma instills patriotic fervor among the future generations, she added.Priya asked the public to visit India’s first war memorial Balidan Stambh to pay tribute to the war heroes.