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Press Note

Dehradun, 16 December, 2011. Chief Minister Major General (Retd.) Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri inaugurated a felicitation ceremony organised on the occasion of ‘Vijay Diwas’, at a wedding point on Subhash Road here, on Friday. On the occasion, he felicitated bravery award winning soldiers of the 1971 Indo-Pak War, and their families. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the history of Uttarakhand is replete with numerous examples of bravery and sacrifice of the soldiers. He said that Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand has been a land of brave hearts. To sacrifice oneself for the sake of the country has been a time-honoured tradition here, he said. Chief Minister Shri Khanduri said that Darban Singh Negi – the first Victoria Cross recipient; Gabar Singh; Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali – the hero of independent Peshawar incident; Som Nath Sharma - the recipient of India’s first Param Veer Chakra; Gajendra Singh, who attained martyrdom in the terrorist attack on the Mumbai’s Taj Hotel on 26 November, 2008, and, Surjan Singh Bhandari, who attained martyrdom in the terrorist attack on the Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on 25 November, 2002, were all from Uttarakhand. He said that altogether 255 soldiers from Uttarakhand laid down their lives in the 1971 Indo-Pak War which yielded historic win for India while 68 others soldiers from the State were decorated by the Government of India with different gallantry awards, he said. The Chief Minister said that in 1971, Pakistani forces had launched a planned attack on India’s borders in response to which the country’s armed forces gave a befitting reply. The country’s brave soldiers not only foiled the attack but also laid down their lives to preserve the respect and honour of the country. On the occasion, he paid rich tributes to the soldiers for their bravery. He said our soldiers have secured victory in Sri Lanka peace operations and other wars and conflicts which is a matter of pride for the State. Earlier, Chief Minister Khanduri lit the ceremonial lamp to inaugurate the felicitation ceremony. Among those who also addressed the ceremony include Rajpur MLA Ganesh Joshi and General (Retd.) Kaushik. Convenor of the Vijay Diwas programme and Director Soldier Welfare Brigadier (Retd.) AN Bahuguna proposed the vote of thanks. The programme was conducted by Dr. Vimal Nautiyal. On the occasion, a shawl and a memento each was presented to 15 retired defence personnel and the family members of the martyrs, including Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Anand Swarup, Major General (Retd.) Shamsher Singh, Smt. Neetu Roy wife of Martyr Major Bhaskar Roy, Smt. Indira Gurung wife of Martyr Col. Ram Bahadur Gurung, Hav. (Retd.) Bagicha Singh, Col. (Retd.) JP Raina, and Martyr Col. AS Khatri. Those who were present on the occasion include Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Anand Swarup, Brig. (Retd.) PS Gurung, Brig. (Retd.) KG Behl, Col. (Retd.) PD Kuriyal, and Col. (Retd.) CM Nautiyal, among other retired defence officials. Earlier, the Chief Minister also paid floral tributes to the martyr soldiers by laying a wreath at the Martyrs’ Memorial at Gandhi Park here. A large number of public representatives and retired defence officials joined the Chief Minister in paying their tributes to the martyrs. The Chief Minister also visited Garhi Dakra and unveiled a statue of a soldier. He also felicitated the family members of soldiers and martyr soldiers. Those who were present on the occasion include MLA Ganesh Joshi, Ravindra Jugran, and Brigadier (Retd.) PS Gurung, among others.

Information and Public Relations Department Government of Uttarakhand Information and Public Relations Department 12 E.C. Road, Dehradun.

Press Note

Dehradun, 16 December, 2011. Chief Minister Major General (Retd.) Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri inaugurated the 19th All India Forest Sports Meet at FRI here, on Friday. On the occasion, he accepted the salute at an impressive march past by 35 participating teams from different parts of the country. The Chief Minister inaugurated the meet by handing over the games torch to the competitors. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the officials of the forest department have on their shoulders the responsible but onerous task to perform, that of forest conservation. He said that the forest officials have to encounter various challenges in the discharge of their duties. Sports prove helpful in keeping the body and the mind fit enough so that these duties can be performed easily. Besides, sports also promote camaraderie and team spirit, he said. He said that 65 percent of total land area in Uttarakhand is under forest cover which is providing the much needed ecological service not only to the sub-continent but to the entire world. He said that the sports meet being organised in Uttarakhand for the first time for which the organisers deserve unrestrained praise and admiration, he said. Chief Minister Shri Khanduri said that events such as these not only help promote sports activities but also provide opportunity to the officials of the forest department from different parts of the country to interact and share their experiences. He said that altogether 12 thousand Van Panchayats have been constituted in Uttarakhand which are engaged in the task of forest conservation in the State. He also congratulated the competitors who have come from different parts of the country to participate in the event. On the occasion, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Uttarakhand, Dr. RBS Rawat said that altogether 21 events are being organised at the 19th All India Forest Sports Meet. He said that altogether 2078 competitors including players and athletes of a total of 35 teams from different states, Union Territories and the Ministry of Environment and Forest are participating in the event. He said that boarding, lodging and transport arrangements have been made for the teams. The sports events are being organised at the IGNFA Pavilion, as well as in other sports grounds in IMA, FRI, Central Academy for State Forest Service, Jaspal Rana Academy and the Parade Grounds.

Information and Public Relations Department