PM Modi to name 21 unnamed islands in Andaman and Nicobar on Monday

Twenty-one large unnamed islands of Andaman & Nicobar will be named after Param Vir Chakra awardees in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Parakram Diwas on Monday, according to a release from the Prime Minister’ Office (PMO).

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti on January 23 is observed as the ‘Parakram Diwas’ every year.

“Keeping in mind the historic significance of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and to honour the memory of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Ross Islands was renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep by the Prime Minister during this visit to the Island in 2018. Neil Island and Havelock Island were also renamed as Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep,” said the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.

The Prime Minister, who will take part in the naming ceremony on Monday at 11am via video conferencing, will also unveil the model of the National Memorial dedicated to Netaji to be built on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep.

The largest unnamed island will be named after the first Param Vir Chakra awardee, Major Somnath Sharma, who was martyred in action on November 3, 1947 while repulsing Pakistani infiltrators near Srinagar Airport. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for his gallantry and sacrifice during the Battle of Badgam.

The second largest unnamed island will be named after the second Param Vir Chakra awardee, Subedar and Hony Captain (then Lance Naik) Karam Singh. He earned his Param Vir Chakra in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 where battles were fought for control of the Tithwal sector.

The PMO said the move comes as part of efforts by the Prime Minister to provide due respect to the real-life heroes of the country.

“This step will be an everlasting tribute to our heroes, several of whom had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the nation,” the Prime Minister’s Office noted.

The 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees, after whom the islands will be named are as follows, Major Somnath Sharma; Subedar and Hony Captain (then Lance Naik) Karam Singh, MM; 2nd Lt. Rama Raghoba Rane; Nayak Jadunath Singh; Company Havildar Major Piru Singh; Capt GS Salaria; Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Dhan Singh Thapa; Subedar Joginder Singh; Major Shaitan Singh; CQMH. Abdul Hamid; Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore; Lance Naik Albert Ekka; Major Hoshiar Singh; 2nd Lt. Arun Khetrapal; Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon; Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran; Naib Subedar Bana Singh; Captain Vikram Batra; Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey; Subedar Major (then RifleMan) Sanjay Kumar; and Subedar Major Retd (Hony Captain) Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav.