President Kovind to join Kargil Victory Day function

President Ram Nath Kovind is scheduled to join the celebrations of Kargil Victory Day at War Memorial in Drass, Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

Kovind, who is also the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces, will arrive in Kargil-Drass early Friday morning, official sources said. He would be received by J&K governor Satya Pal Malik along with three service chiefs - Chief of Armed Staff, General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh.

“The three service officers are likely to brief the audience over complexities of the operation,” they said.

Preparations by the Army are in full swing to mark the 20th anniversary of the Kargil war to rekindle the valour of the soldiers who took part in ‘Operation Vijay.’ The war memorial has around 500 tombstones with the name of soldiers inscribed on them.

Earlier this week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Memorial and paid tributes to soldiers who lost their lives during the Kargil war.

To commemorate the victory, a ‘Victory Flame’ was lit by Rajnath Singh on July 14 at the National War Memorial in Delhi. The flame will traverse through nine towns and cities before reaching Drass on July 26. It will be received by the Army chief and then be merged with the eternal flame at the Kargil War Memorial.