Chief Minister Siddaramaiah paid tributes to the heroes of the Kargil war, at the National Military Memorial here on Saturday on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas.
Home Minister K.J. George also laid a wreath at the memorial.
On the occasion, Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda said the government was committed to ensuring the welfare of those defending the country’s frontiers. The budget had proposed allocating Rs. 1,000 crore to meet their pension expenditure, he said.
In the light of increasing incidents of crimes against women in Bangalore, Mr. Gowda advised girl students who were present at the event to “be stubborn and stand for your rights”.
Defence officers and their family members, and college and school students were present at the event, marked by solemn pageantry.
Subhashini Vasanth, wife of Col. Vasanth who died in a counter-terrorist operation in 2007, said events held to commemorate the sacrifices made by the country’s Defence forces were significant because not many people come forward to serve the country. “Service is a forgotten concept among citizens now,” she said.
Om, Sanjay and Jeevan, Class 8 students, had come from the Directorate of Youth Services and Sports. Om said he was proud to be part of the event being held to remember the heroes of the Kargil War fought in 1999.
