The National War Memorial was approved by the Modi government in October 2015 and had a budget of Rs 176 crore. Located at India Gate C-Hexagon, the NWM apart from having artificial lighting for evenings will also have a walking plaza and a 14 lakh litre water storage tank for rainwater harvesting.
New Delhi: The National War Memorial (NWM), which has been constructed to honour around 26,000 soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation since its independence in 1947, is finally complete and is all set to get inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 25.
According to senior officials, after addressing a meeting of more than 15,000 ex-servicemen at the National Stadium, PM Modi will dedicate the NWM to the country.
The war memorial was approved by the Modi government in October 2015 and had a budget of Rs 176 crore. Located at India Gate C-Hexagon, the NWM apart from having artificial lighting for evenings will also have a walking plaza and a 14 lakh litre water storage tank for rainwater harvesting, which will keep the area green and cool and prevent water clogging.
The memorial will be having a layout of four landscaped concentric circles spread over 40 acres. The four circles — Amar Chakra (circle of immortality), Veer Chakra (circle of bravery), Tyag Chakra (circle of sacrifice) and Rakshak Chakra (circle of protection) — will include a 15m tall obelisk with eternal flame, bronze murals, graphic panels, inscription of names of martyrs and busts of 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees.
Moreover, all the ceremonial functions that are held at the Amar Jawan Jyoti — a memorial constructed to pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who lost their lives during the 1971 India-Pakistan war —-will now shift to the NWM.
Amar Jawan Jyoti is situated at the India Gate, which is a 42-meter-high structure made by the Britishers in 1921 to commemorate the sacrifices of more than 83,000 Indian soldiers during World War I and the Afghan campaign.
The NWM was initially scheduled to be inaugurated on August 15, 2018, but it was not completed before the deadline. Since then, its inauguration day has been postponed at multiple occasions.
Despite the initial shortcomings, the NWM is all set to throw open its gates to common people this month’s end.
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