The national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) J P Nadda and chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami initiated the Shaheed Samman Yatra from remote Sawad village of Chamoli district on Monday.

The Yatra is being organised for construction of Sainnya Dham in Dehradun.

Speaking on the occasion, Nadda said that he feels proud to be present at the initiation of the Yatra on the occasion of Igaas festival.

Terming Uttarakhand as land of warriors and revolution, Nadda said that more than 1.15 lakh Jawans from the state are serving the armed forces of the country. He said that the warriors of the state have won one Paramvir Chakra (PVC), six Ashok Chakra and 13 Mahavir Chakras.

Addressing the gathering, CM Dhami said that ‘Nation first’ has always been the motto of the armed forces of the country and Uttarakhand has given lakhs of warriors for the armed forces of the country. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the country is marching forward on the path of the development. Dhami said that the morale of the armed forces is very high as the government has given it full freedom to operate. He said that PM Modi has honoured the valour of the armed forces and has worked with sensitivity to usher in a positive change in the life of the Jawans.

He said that the Sainnya Dham is being constructed to ensure that the sacrifices made by the martyrs are remembered for ever. He said that soil from households of the martyrs would be collected during the Yatra from all 13 districts and used in the construction of the memorial. The CM added that the central and state government have started many schemes for the benefit of the ex servicemen. He said that it was the Modi government which fulfilled the long standing demand of One Rank One Pension (OROP) of the armed forces personnel.

The Union minister of state for defence, Ajay Bhatt said that one member from every second family in Uttarakhand is in armed forces.

The soldier welfare minister Ganesh Joshi said that the Uttarakhand government would make a grand Sainnya Dham in Dehradun. He said that block wise programmes would be organised in every district during the Yatra.

The CM, BJP National president and others also paid homage at Martyrs memorial in Sawad village and observed a silence of two minutes as a mark of respect for the martyrs. The family members of the martyrs were also honoured in the programme. The president of state unit of BJP Madan Kaushik, MLAs Mahendra Bhatt, Munni Devi Shah and others were also present on the occasion.