New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday unveiled a 28-ft tall statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate. The statue is part of the Centre’s Rs 13,450-crore Central Vista project, which will have a new Parliament building, new office and residences for the prime minister and vice-president and new ministry buildings. The North and South Blocks, the secretariat buildings flanking Rashtrapati Bhavan, will be converted into museums.
The unveiling ceremony was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah. “This is a historic location and a historic occasion. Netaji refused to bow before the British. His statue will inspire democratic values and future generations. We have to move ahead by taking inspiration from Netaji’s ‘can do, will do’ spirit,” PM Modi said.
“This is not just a statue but a befitting tribute to the legendary Netaji, who gave everything for India’s freedom,” said Union home minister Amit Shah.
The nation’s Republic Day celebrations will now start on January 23 every year to coincide with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary, the government declared earlier this week. Every year, on Parakram Diwas, people celebrate the anniversary of his birth.
At the programme to mark the unveiling of the hologram statue of Netaji Bose. https://t.co/OxRPKqf1Q7
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2022
During the programme, Prime Minister Modi also conferred the Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskars for the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. A total of seven awards were presented during the ceremony.
The Centre instituted the annual Subhas Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar to recognise and honour the contribution of individuals and organisations in the field of disaster management. The prize money for the award is Rs. 51 lakh for institutions and Rs. 5 lakh for individuals.
