Kargil Vijay Diwas: PM Modi to visit war memorial in Drass today

PM Modi visits Kargil War Memorial on 25th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, pays tribute to bravehearts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kargil today on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas and pay homage to the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.

PM Modi will visit the Kargil War Memorial at around 9:20 a.m. and pay tribute to the bravehearts.

The arrangements are in full accordance with security purposes at the Kargil War Memorial at Dras, ahead of the Prime Minister's visit.

Mr. Modi will carry out the first blast of the Shinkun La Tunnel Project virtually. An official release said that the Shinkun La Tunnel Project, which consists of a 4.1 km long Twin-Tube tunnel that would be constructed at an altitude of around 15,800 feet on the Nimu-Padum-Darcha Road, would provide all-weather connectivity to Leh. Once completed, it will be the highest tunnel in the world. The tunnel would ensure swift and efficient movement of the country's armed forces and equipment and foster economic and social development in Ladakh.

As the country celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas today, the families of the soldiers remember the bravery and dedication of their loved ones who laid their lives during the war between India and Pakistan at icy heights in 1999.

Madhubala, widow of Kargil hero Vinod Kumar, said, "On May 18, 1997, we got married and on June 14, 1999, he lost his life. I feel very good to be here and feel proud. Rajender Kumar, the elder brother of Kargil hero, soldier Bejender Kumar, said that he feels proud that his brother died for the country."I feel so proud; he died for the country. We remember him every day," he said.

Prashanti, wife of Kargil hero, Group Captain K. Nachiketa Rao, said that, like all the other countrymen, she used to pray for his repatriation from Pakistan everyday. Group Captain Rao was a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force who was captured by Pakistani forces before he was handed over to the Indian authorities."I feel very proud. The bravery and courage he had shown. We were not married at the time of the war. We married after two years of it. Like all the other countrymen, we used to pray every day for his repatriation (from Pakistan). We feel proud as there are very few people who get such a chance to show such bravery and then get to comeback and live to tell those tales," she said.