14-Aug-2021: Prime Minister declares 14th August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (विभाजन विभीषिका स्मृति दिवस) to be observed every year
In a fitting tribute to all those who lost their lives due to the partition of the nation and were displaced from their roots, the Government has decided to observe 14th August every year as the day to commemorate their sacrifice. Declaration of such a day would remind present and future generations of Indians of the pain and suffering faced by the people during the partition. Accordingly, the Government declares 14th August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (विभाजन विभीषिका स्मृति दिवस).
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi made the solemn announcement.
The Prime Minister tweeted
“Partition’s pains can never be forgotten. Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence. In memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, 14th August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.
May the #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay keep reminding us of the need to remove the poison of social divisions, disharmony and further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony and human empowerment.”
India attained its freedom from British rule on 15th August, 1947. Independence Day, which is celebrated on 15th August every year, is a joyous and proud occasion for any nation; however, with the sweetness of freedom came also the trauma of partition. The birth of the newly independent Indian nation was accompanied by violent pangs of partition that left permanent scars on millions of Indians.
The partition caused amongst the largest migrations in human history affecting about 20 million people. Millions of families had to abandon their ancestral villages/towns/cities and were forced to find a new life as refugees.
While at the stroke of midnight of 14th-15th August, 2021, the entire nation will be celebrating the 75th Independence Day, the pain and violence of partition has remained deeply etched in the nation’s memory. While the country has moved on, to become the largest democracy and the third-largest economy of the world, the pain of partition suffered by the nation can never be forgotten. While celebrating our Independence, a grateful nation also salutes those sons and daughters of our beloved motherland who had to sacrifice their lives in the frenzy of violence.
7-Aug-2021: Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu releases Postage Stamp on Mananiya Chaman Lal
Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India released Commemorative Postage Stamp on ‘Mananiya Chaman Lal’ at a public function at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Conference Hall, 6, Maulana Azad Road, New Delhi. The function was graced by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications, Railways & Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications and other dignitaries.
This Commemorative Postage Stamp highlights the life & work of Mananiya Chaman Lal, renowned social worker and Sangh Pracharak. Born on 25th March, 1920 in Sialkot(now in Pakistan), Mananiya Chaman Lal from a young age was enthused to work for the welfare of people. Although he was a Gold Medalist with many lucrative job offers, still he chose to work for fulfilling the basic needs of people who were victims of partition of India. Through his perseverance, passion and hard work, he created an institutional mechanism for helping the Indians abroad and was instrumental in fulfilling the various strategic goals of foreign policy of India.
Speaking on the occasion, Vice President said that Mananiya Chaman Lal was an Indian Saint in true sense, who believed and practiced the philosophy of share and care. He always put nation first and self-last in all his actions. He said that, he was instrumental in initiating and fulfilling the dream project of creating a global network on the Sangh and was responsible to facilitate the Indians going abroad. The Vice President also said that postage stamps are an excellent source of authentic information on our history, especially for next generation citizens.
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications, Railways & Electronics and Information Technology said that Mananiya Chaman Lal had deep and spiritual connect with all Indian descendants. The Union Minister shared an anecdote, where in the year 1992, then President of Mauritius, Shri Aniruddha Jagnauth delayed the marriage of his son till Mananiya Chaman Lal ji attended iit Minister also said that his lifestyle was so simple that after washing his clothes, he used to dry them without wrenching, so that no ironing is required. The Minister lauded the efforts of Department of Posts for various initiatives to identify and facilitate Unsung Heroes of India as a part of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.
Shri Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications said that Mananiya Chaman Lal was true son of Bharat Mata, whose foresightedness and meticulous planning helped many in India and abroad. Speaking on the occasion he also said that Mananiya Chaman Lal also had a passion for reforestation and preserving the ecological balance.
The postage stamp was proposed by Shri Amarjiva Lochan, General Secretary, International Centre for Cultural Studies and designed by Shri Sankha Samanta.
In the release function, a Commemorative Postage Stamp, a First Day Cover (FDC) and an Information Brochure were also unveiled. The stamp issued today is a tribute of Department of Posts to Unsung Heroes of India and is a part of the initiatives of the Department for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Programme.
The Commemorative Postage Stamp, First Day Cover (FDC) and Information Brochure would be available for sale at Philatelic Bureaux situated in every corner of the country as well as can be ordered online via e-postoffice (Visit : https://www.epostoffice.gov.in/).
15-Sep-2020: Postage Stamp released on A-SAT: India’s First Anti Satellite Missile
A Customized My Stamp on India’s First Anti Satellite Missile (A-SAT) launch was released by Department of Posts on the occasion of Engineers Day today in the august presence of Shri Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor (NSA).
On the direction of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted an Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) missile test ‘Mission Shakti’ from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha on 27th March 2019. A DRDO developed A-SAT Missile successfully engaged an Indian orbiting target satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in a ‘Hit to Kill’ mode. The interceptor missile was a three-stage missile with two solid rocket boosters. Tracking data from range sensors had confirmed that the mission met all its objectives. The entire effort was indigenous which demonstrated the Nation’s capability to develop such complex and critical missions. A number of industries also participated in the mission. With this success, India became fourth nation in the world to possess such capability.
Shri Ajit Doval in his address stated that it was a very brave step on part of DRDO to go for Mission Shakti. He further stated that DRDO has plenty of achievements to be proud of; however the future is in space based technologies. Satellites are critical and with this capability India can defend its assets in space. He appreciated the way in which the mission was kept a secret and complimented the whole DRDO fraternity for doing well in all other fields.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary DDR&D& Chairman DRDO thanked Hon’ble Prime Minister and NSA for having confidence in DRDO and assigning such a critical and complex mission to DRDO. He further stated that A-SAT mission enabled development of many technologies and capabilities for precision kill at higher altitudes. He called upon DRDO fraternity to take up more such complex and critical projects.
The function was also attended by Shri Pradipta Kumar Bisoi, Secretary, Department of Posts and Senior Scientists of DRDO.
The release of Stamp reminds the nation about the technological achievement, which has made the nation proud.
13-Jun-2018: Cabinet approves MoU between India and Vietnam on Joint issue of postage stamp
The Union Cabinet has been apprised of the joint issue of a postage stamp between Department of Posts and Vietnam Post.
Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications and Viet Nara Post mutually agreed to jointly issue Postage Stamps on India-Vietnam: Joint Issue on the theme "Ancient Architecture". The joint stamps were released on 25-01-2018.
The Commemorative Postage Stamps on India-Vietnam: Joint Issue depicts Sanchi Stupa of India and Pho Minh Pagoda of Vietnam. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between postal administrations of India and Vietnam for this joint issue on 18-12-2017.
4-Aug-2021: National War Memorial
The construction cost towards establishing the National War Memorial is Rs 176.65 crore (Rupees One Hundred Seventy Six Crore and Sixty Five Lakhs only). Further, Bharat Electronics Limited has been nominated to execute the project of Enhancement of Digital Appeal at National War Memorial.
The online portal dedicated to the gallantry award winners has already been created during 2017-18. The online portal dedicated to the gallantry award winners has been created during 2017-18 with an estimated expenditure of Rs 7,11,500/- (Rupees Seven Lakh Eleven Thousand and Five Hundred only).
Further, Ministry of Defence has entered into an agreement with Raksha Rashtriya University (RRU) for improvement of the portal at a monthly payment of Rs. 1,59,000/- (One Lakh and Fifty Nine Thousand only). In the FY 2020-21, the expenditure was Rs. 4,77,000/- (Rupees Four Lakh and Seventy Seven Thousand only) and in FY 2021-22 till May 2021, the expenditure was Rs. 3,18,000/- (Rupees Three Lakh and Eighteen Thousand only).
Ministry of Defence has also entered into a contract with M/s Broadcasting Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) w.e.f. 01 May 2021 to 30 Apr 2022 @ Rs. 77,172/- per month for deployment of consultant (Social Media) to assist the Ministry in enrichment of Gallantry Awards Portal.
The Ministry has introduced various modules/activities viz. option of paying tribute, taking pledge, motivational videos, information of war memorials and war histories, e-Books etc. Various public participative events viz. Quiz on Gallantry Awards, tribute competition, logo design competition, live streaming of NCC activities at statues of Awardees are also conducted from time to time. MoD have also created dedicated social media handles for publicity of activities planned on Gallantry Portal and also YouTube channel for uploading of videos relating to the Awardees.
Ministry of Defence, in coordination with National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space and Geo-informatics (BISAG) (under Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology), Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), Armed Forces and NIC, is maintaining the portal to honour the gallantry awardees.
24-Feb-2020: CDS to pay homage to martyrs on first anniversary of National War Memorial tomorrow
The first anniversary of the iconic National War Memorial (NWM) will be observed tomorrow. The monument was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on February 25, 2019. The memorial is a fitting tribute by the grateful nation to its fallen heroes in the line of duty during various wars and internal security challenges since Independence.
To mark the first anniversary, a solemn ceremony will be held at NWM tomorrow. Chief of the Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and veterans from the three services will lay wreaths and pay homage to the fallen soldiers.
The events marking the first anniversary commenced on February 22, 2020 with a static band display by the three Services. A quiz competition, based on Indian military history, is also being held between February 24-25, 2020 in which students from various schools and colleges across Delhi are taking part.
Over the last one year, more than 21 lakh people including dignitaries, both domestic and foreign, have visited the NWM. Over 5,000-7,000 people visit the monument everyday which includes a large number of students from the National Capital Region. President and Prime Minister have paid tributes at the memorial thrice in the last one year. The most poignant moment of the day at NWM is the wreath-laying ceremony which is conducted every evening, wherein one of the next of kin of martyrs lay the wreath at Amar Chakra.
24-Feb-2019: PM to dedicate the National War Memorial to the nation tomorrow
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will dedicate the National War Memorial to the nation in a solemn ceremonial function tomorrow on February 25th. He will also address ex-servicemen on the occasion.
The National War Memorial, near India Gate in New Delhi, is a fitting tribute to our soldiers who laid down their lives defending the nation, post-independence.
The National War Memorial also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made the supreme sacrifice in Peace Keeping Missions, and Counter Insurgency Operations.
In 2014, Prime Minister had spelt out his vision for the National War Memorial as a state-of-the-art world class monument.
The layout of the National War Memorial comprises four concentric circles, namely, the ‘Amar Chakra’ or Circle of Immortality, the ‘Veerta Chakra’ or Circle of Bravery, the ‘Tyag Chakra’ or Circle of Sacrifice, and the ‘Rakshak Chakra’ or Circle of Protection.
The National War Memorial complex includes a central obelisk, an eternal flame, and six bronze murals depicting famous battles fought by Indian Army, Air Force and Navy.
Busts of the 21 awardees of Param Veer Chakra have been installed at Param Yoddha Sthal which includes three living awardees Sub Maj (Hony Capt) Bana Singh (Retd), Sub Major Yogendra Singh Yadav and Sub Sanjay Kumar.
National War Memorial represents the culmination of the collective aspiration of a grateful nation to pay a fitting tribute to the martyrs.