On this milestone of completing 60 years, the program was held to honor the nation’s defense personnel and soldiers. The main guest of the event, Ajay Bhatt, Union Minister of State for Defense and Tourism, paid tribute to some army personnel including Colonel DN Sharma (VSM), the Colonel Gaba, Colonel Rekhi, Major DP Singh, Subedar (RT) DP Uniyal, Subedar Harnarayan Sharma, Naib Subedar Kapil Dev Thapliyal (SM) with National Pride Award.

“I am so happy to be here and to honor all these brave soldiers. There are so many heroes here, with amazing stories. PGI is known worldwide and the doctors here are dedicated to serving the people. On this occasion, I salute all those who have died in the war, and the sacrifices they have made to serve this country. The younger generation needs to know their lives and truths and their stories of courage,” Bhatt said, sharing many stories of the bravery of the country’s soldiers and India’s progress in defence.

Professor Vivek Lal, Director of PGI, spoke of the courage of the Indian soldiers and admired their dedication and sacrifices. Maj Devender Pal Singh (retired) has Kargil War veteran, who has a 100 percent disability rating, and is India’s first amputee marathon runner also spoke at the event. Famous as an Indian blade runner and now head of the Challenging Ones (TCO), a support group for amputees, he said: “Whatever happens, happens for good, at this time we don’t understand not that. As I progressed in life, I realized that if I had not been injured in the war, there would have been no achievements in life”.