New Delhi: Prime Minister on Monday remembered Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 126th birth anniversary and extended his greetings to the countrymen on the occasion of Parakram Diwas.
He said it was from the land of Andamans where the free tricolour was hoisted for the first time.
PM Modi said that attempt was made to forget Netaji but the 21st century is a witness to the change that how Netaji is being remembered today every moment. He said that the works related to Subhas Chandra, which have been done in the last 8-9 years, should have been done in the years following India's independence.
On the naming of the islands of Andaman and Nicobar, he said, "The 21 Paramveer Chakra winners, by whose name these islands of Andaman-Nicobar will now be known, considered every part of the motherland as their everything."
He said that all the 21 Paramveers had only one resolution- 'India First'. "Today in the naming of these islands, their resolution has become immortal forever. The potential of Andamans is huge. In the past 8 years, the country has made continuous efforts in this direction," he added.
"Veer Savarkar and many other heroes who fought for the country were incarcerated in this land of the Andamans. When I visited Port Blair 4-5 years ago, I dedicated Indian names to the 3 main islands there," the PM said.
The Prime Minister said, "Many messages are contained in the naming of the 21 islands which have got new names today. The message is of Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat; this message is of the bravery of our Armed Forces."
The PM further mentioned that people now come to the islands of Andaman and Nicobar to learn and live the history of India.
Prime Minister Modi also unveiled the model of the National Memorial dedicated to Netaji to be built on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep. The Prime Minister also named 21 largest unnamed islands of Andaman and Nicobar after 21 Param Veer Chakra awardees.
Taking a jibe at the previous governments at the Centre, the PM said that the potential and islands of the country were underestimated for decades.
"For decades, the potential of the country was underestimated. But now, India is seen as capable of touching the heights of modern development. The islands of India can offer a lot to the world. But earlier this potential was not recognised, and no action was taken," he said.
The government of India, in 2021, observed the birth anniversary of the legendary freedom fighter as Parakram Diwas for the first time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was speaking in a ceremony to name 21 largest unnamed islands of Andaman and Nicobar via video conferencing, on the occasion of Parakram Diwas marking freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s 126th birth anniversary. During the event, he also unveiled the model of the National Memorial dedicated to Netaji, to be built on Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Dweep.
In the honour of Netaji, the Union Territory’s Ross Island was named as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep by PM Modi during his visit to the island in 2018. Likewise, Neil Island and Havelock Island were also renamed as Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep.
The 21 islands are named after 21 Param Veer Chakra awardees and the largest unnamed island will be named after first Param Veer Chakra awardee, the second largest unnamed island will be named after the second Param Vir Chakra awardee, and so on.
These islands have been named after the 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees, viz. Major Somnath Sharma; Subedar and Hony Captain (then Lance Naik) Karam Singh, MM; 2nd Lt. Rama Raghoba Rane; Nayak Jadunath Singh; Company Havildar Major Piru Singh; Capt GS Salaria; Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Dhan Singh Thapa; Subedar Joginder Singh; Major Shaitan Singh; CQMH. Abdul Hamid; Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore; Lance Naik Albert Ekka; Major Hoshiar Singh; 2nd Lt. Arun Khetrapal; Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon; Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran; Naib Subedar Bana Singh; Captain Vikram Batra; Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey; Subedar Major (then RifleMan) Sanjay Kumar; and Subedar Major Retd (Hony Captain) Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav.