Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the National War Memorial on Friday morning, officially commencing the 75th Republic Day events. At War Memorial, the Prime Minister paid tributes to the fallen soldiers. PM Modi was joined by three service chiefs as he paid tributes at the solemn ceremony. The Prime Minister will head to Kartavya Path for the Republic Day parade. President Draupadi Murmu will raise the National Flag, followed by the National Anthem and a resounding 21-gun salute.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the famous National War Memorial at the India Gate complex, behind the canopy, on February 25, 2019.
The National War Memorial, which covers around 40 acres, is divided into four concentric circles: the 'Amar Chakra', 'Veerta Chakra', 'Tyag Chakra', and the 'Rakshak Chakra', each with the names of 25,942 soldiers written in gold lettering on granite tablets.
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It also has a central 15.5-meter obelisk, an everlasting flame, and six bronze paintings commemorating important battles fought by the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy in a covered gallery (Veerta Chakra).
The memorial honours military personnel slain in the Indo-China War in 1962, the Indo-Pakistan Wars in 1947, 1965, and 1971, the Indian Peace Keeping Force Operations in Sri Lanka, and the Kargil Conflict in 1999, as well as those who served in UN peacekeeping operations.
The 42-meter-high India Gate, also known as the All India War Memorial Arch, was erected under the British Raj to commemorate soldiers who perished in the First World War (1914-1918) and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. Soldiers' names are etched on the landmark's surface.
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Republic Day Parade 2024
The Republic Day parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. and last around 90 minutes. The Republic Day 2024 parade will begin at Vijay Chowk and go to Kartavya Path. The facility will hold over 77,000 people, with 42,000 earmarked for the general public.
The national flag will be unfurled, followed by the national song, which will be accompanied by a thundering 21-gun salute from the indigenous 105-mm Indian Field Gun system.