GNS ONLINE NEWS PORTAL
SHYAM SOOD
“Youth is the country’s most important asset; They will help realise the PM vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047”: Rajnath Singh.
RAJOURI-NEW DELHI, JANUARY 25 :
The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday in new Delhi felicitated ‘Super-100 winners of Project Veer Gatha 3.0 in the presence of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
A cash prize of Rs10,000, a medal and a certificate were given to each of the 100 winners.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Defence
Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and other senior officials of Ministry of Defence & Ministry of Education were present on the occasion.
It was a memorable moment when, for the first time in his tenure as the Raksha Mantri, Rajnath Singh handed over the podium to one of the winners Sushri Barnali Sahu, a student of Class 11, DAV Public School, Cuttack, Odisha to address the gathering on his behalf, a gesture that struck a chord with the students assembled for the event.
Country’s youth will play a key role in realising Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of transforming India into ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, said Sahu on behalf of Rajnath Singh.
“Youth is the most important asset to shape the future of the country. They will shoulder the responsibility of a developed nation,” she said.
“Project Veer Gatha was an endeavour to introduce the bravehearts of the nation to the youth and take the tales of valour by these young minds. The project was launched with the combined efforts of the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education to strengthen the values of Nation First” she added.
“Our mission is to raise awareness among children about the bravery of our soldiers. We want them to imbibe valour and courage,” Rajnath Singh said adding ‘What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand’, describing it as an accurate way of learning.
He said: “There was a time when as a nation we had limited resources, and we were not able to pay proper attention to our youth. Now the scenario has now changed. Today, the youth, who wish to fly high, have an open sky of aspirations. It is our duty to encourage these nation builders”.
Before handing over to the podium, the Raksha Mantri, while interacting with students, shared insights on ‘spiritual strength’.He described physical, mental/intellectual, and spiritual strength as the three facets crucial to achieve victory or any desired result in life.
“Only a spiritual person attains bliss. Only people with large hearts can be spiritually oriented’ he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan termed “Veer Gatha was a unique program which inspired the young generation about the sacrifices made by the bravehearts, said Education Minister.
The event also witnessed Param Vir Chakra awardee Subedar Major (Honorary Captain) Yogendra Singh Yadav (Retd) narrating his real-life story of the Kargil war where he overcame all odds and played a crucial role in India’s historic victory.
“Draw inspiration from the valiant soldiers who defend their nation by making supreme sacrifices,” asked Yogendra Yadav to the youth.
Building on the recommendations of the Raksha Mantri, Veer Gatha 3.0 underwent a notable expansion of recognising 100 winners at National Level as against 25 winners in the first two editions. An enhanced feature of recognising winners at multiple levels – National, State, and District, was introduced.
This third edition was held between July 13 to September 30, 2023, wherein a record 1.36 crore students from 2.42 lakh schools pan-India shared their inspirational stories in terms of essays, poems, drawings, and multimedia presentations.
The national level evaluation committee appointed by the Ministry of Education selected the top 100 entries.
The remarkable achievement of the Veer Gatha 3.0 is exemplified by the impressive strength of 65 girl students among the ‘Super-100’
