25 JAN , Delhi: On the eve of the Republic Day 2023, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh felicitated the 25 winners of Veer Gatha 2.0 at an event organised in New Delhi on 25 January 2023. Veer Gatha 2.0, the second edition of project Veer Gatha was organised in the backdrop of overwhelming success of Veer Gatha Edition-1 last year which was jointly initiated by the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.Shri Rajnath Singh gave away the winners a cash prize of Rs 10,000, a medal and a certificate, in the presence of Minister of Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane were also present. Over 100 NCC cadets and students from Army Public Schools & Cantonment Boards were in attendance, with students and teachers from over 500 schools joining virtually.Congratulating the young winners, Raksha Mantri commended their bravery, zeal and creativity, and expressed confidence that the young generation will provide a new and better direction not only to themselves but also to the society and the Nation.Applauding the role of Veer Gatha in inspiring values of patriotism in the young students, Shri Rajnath Singh said, such projects will play a crucial role in infusing values of morality and bravery along with education among students. In the recent past, the Government has taken several steps, which will help in the all-round development of our children in the coming times, he added.Highlighting the growing popularity of Veer Gatha, Shri Rajnath Singh said, in such a short span of time this project has gained immense popularity, and has become a movement in itself.“Last year there were 8 lakhs participation, whereas this time the number of these entries has crossed 19 lakhs. Within a small span of time, it has been able to reach millions of children. This is how a movement occurs,” said Raksha Mantri.Shri Rajnath Singh underscored that crores of children are indirectly connected with this project which is also the aim of this project. Connecting with the children of the country, and keep them motivated is what nation building is, he added.
