Ahead of the Republic Day celebrations, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday felicitated ‘Super-100’ winners of Project Veer Gatha 3 on Thursday.

A cash prize of Rs 10,000, a medal and a certificate were given to each of the 100 winners.

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It was a memorable moment as for the first time in his tenure as the Defence Minister, Mr Singh handed over the podium to one of the winners Sushri Barnali Sahu, a student of Class 11, DAV Public School, Cuttack, to address the gathering on his behalf, a gesture that struck a chord with the students assembled for the event.

Delivering the minister’s speech, Sahu stated that the country’s youth will play a key role in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of transforming India into ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. “Youth is the most important asset to shape the future of the country. They will shoulder the responsibility of a developed nation,” she said.

Voicing his views through Sahu, he said: “Project Veer Gatha was an endeavour to introduce the bravehearts of the nation to the youth and take the tales of valour by these young minds. The project was launched with the combined efforts of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education to strengthen the values of ‘Nation First’”.

He referred to the recent inclusion of a chapter on the National War Memorial and the brave heroes who made supreme sacrifices in the NCERT curriculum of Class VII. “Our mission is to raise awareness among children about the bravery of our soldiers. We want them to imbibe valour and courage,” he said, adding: “What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember. What I do, I understand” – describing it as an accurate way of learning.

Mr Singh said: “There was a time when as a nation we had limited resources and we were not able to pay proper attention to our youth. This scenario has now changed. Today, the youth, who wish to fly high, have an open sky of aspirations. It is our duty to encourage these nation builders”.

Before handing over the podium, the minister, while interacting with students, shared insights on ‘spiritual strength’. He emphasised that physical, mental/intellectual and spiritual strength are the three crucial facets necessary to achieve victory or any desired result in life.