The Prime Minister spent his Diwali morning on Thursday at the Siachen glacier, lauding
India's armed forces and saying "125 crore Indians can celebrate Diwali
today and go about their lives in comfort because the jawans guard the
borders."
He also tweeted that he was wishing the entire country on the occasion "from the icy heights of the Siachen Glacier & with the brave Jawans & Officers."
This was the third time in less than a month that Modi was using a public holiday to connect with the people. On October 2, that is Gandhi Jayanti, he launched the Swachh Bharat campaign, and on Dussera, he delivered his first radio speech on the government-run All India Radio.
Indian soldiers control almost all the dominating heights, ranging from 16,000 to 22,000 feet, in the Siachen glacier-Saltoro Ridge region, where more soldiers are killed due to harsh weather and avalanches than enemy fire. Around 900 Indian soldiers have been killed in the region since 1984, though casualties have come down drastically in recent years with India building better infrastructure there. Pakistan has lost even more soldiers in the region.
Arriving in Srinagar in the afternoon, the PM announced Rs 570 crore for repair of houses damaged during the September floods in the state and Rs 175 crore for renovation of six major hospitals which had also suffered damage.
He said the financial help would be transferred directly to the bank accounts of the flood-hit. People of the state, he said, had demanded that the aid reach them directly, and he had assured them their demands would be considered.
He also tweeted that he was wishing the entire country on the occasion "from the icy heights of the Siachen Glacier & with the brave Jawans & Officers."
This was the third time in less than a month that Modi was using a public holiday to connect with the people. On October 2, that is Gandhi Jayanti, he launched the Swachh Bharat campaign, and on Dussera, he delivered his first radio speech on the government-run All India Radio.
Indian soldiers control almost all the dominating heights, ranging from 16,000 to 22,000 feet, in the Siachen glacier-Saltoro Ridge region, where more soldiers are killed due to harsh weather and avalanches than enemy fire. Around 900 Indian soldiers have been killed in the region since 1984, though casualties have come down drastically in recent years with India building better infrastructure there. Pakistan has lost even more soldiers in the region.
Arriving in Srinagar in the afternoon, the PM announced Rs 570 crore for repair of houses damaged during the September floods in the state and Rs 175 crore for renovation of six major hospitals which had also suffered damage.
He said the financial help would be transferred directly to the bank accounts of the flood-hit. People of the state, he said, had demanded that the aid reach them directly, and he had assured them their demands would be considered.
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