Prime Minister Modi pays tributes at National War Memorial on Republic Day

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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid floral tributes to the fallen heroes at the National War Memorial here on the occasion of the 75th Republic Day.

He led the nation in paying solemn tributes by laying a wreath.

The iconic memorial in the India Gate complex was inaugurated by Modi in 2019.

It is dedicated to soldiers killed during the India-China War in 1962, India-Pak Wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971, Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka and in the Kargil Conflict in 1999, and also those in the UN peacekeeping missions.

Spread over an area of approximately 40 acres, the National War Memorial comprises four concentric circles, namely — the ‘Amar Chakra’, ‘Veerta Chakra’, ‘Tyag Chakra’ and the ‘Rakshak Chakra’ with names of 25,942 soldiers inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets.

It also includes a central 15.5-m obelisk, an eternal flame and six bronze murals depicting famous battles fought by the Indian Army, Air Force and the Navy in a covered gallery (Veerta Chakra).