Uttarakhand governor, CM celebrate Diwali with jawans at border

Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday celebrated Diwali with soldiers in the border village of Mana.

They visited East Camp Garhwal Scout, Mana, offered sweets to the jawans and greeted them on the occasion.

Mana is the last Indian village in Chamoli district bordering China and is adjacent to the famous Himalayan temple of Badrinath.

"Our jawans guard the borders in sub-zero temperatures. Their unflinching dedication to duty is inspiring. I had planned to celebrate the festival of lights with them," Dhami told reporters.

Addressing the jawans, he said India is becoming self-reliant in the defence sector under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also read: Uttarakhand CM reaches out to angry Kedarnath priests ahead of Modi visit

"Earlier, we imported arms from outside. But now with a strong, self-reliant India emerging under the leadership of Narendra Modi, we will soon be exporting arms to other countries," he said.

Dhami and the governor, who is himself a retired army officer, met the jawans personally offering sweets to them and wishing them a happy Diwali. The governor also asked them to convey his love and good wishes to their families

Earlier, the governor and the chief minister were given a guard of honour by the soldiers.

After paying a visit to Mana village, they left for Badrinath, where they prayed for prosperity and well-being of the state and the country.

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