New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage at the National War Memorial, a monument to the soldiers who have made supreme sacrifice for the country, on Republic Day on Wednesday.
Modi was joined by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the three service chiefs as he paid tributes at a solemn ceremony.
Republic Day events commence with the homage ceremony at the war memorial.
The prime minister was seen wearing the Uttarakhand cap with an image of Brahmakamal, the state flower.
Official sources said Modi uses the flower whenever he offers prayers at the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand. He also wore a stole from Manipur.
India is celebrating its 73rd Republic Day on Wednesday.
Modi congratulated Padma award winners and said the entire nation cherishes their accomplishments.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the president approved conferment of 128 Padma awards, including two duo cases, this year. In a duo case, the award is counted as one.
The list comprises four Padma Vibhushan, 17 Padma Bhushan and 107 Padma Shri awards.
Thirty-four of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 13 posthumous awardees.
Modi said, “Congratulations to all those who have been conferred the Padma awards. The entire nation cherishes their accomplishments and we are all proud of their contributions to society.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi ditched his traditional turban look on Republic Day this year and wore a traditional cap from Uttarakhand with an image of the brahmakamal, the state flower, and sported a stole from Manipur.
Official sources said Modi uses the brahmakamal whenever he offers prayers at Kedarnath.
Turbans have been a highlight of the prime minister’s sartorial choices at Independence Day and Republic Day events.
Last year, he sported a a special turban from Gujarat’s Jamnagar on 72nd Republic Day. On Independence Day last year, he chose a saffron headgear with red patterns and a long plume.
For his maiden Independence Day speech in 2014, he had opted for a bright red Jodhpuri bandhej turban with green at the tail.
In 2015, he chose a yellow turban covered with multi-coloured crisscross lines, and a tie and dye turban in hues of pink and yellow in 2016.
The prime minister’s turban for 2017 was a mix of bright red and yellow with crisscrossed golden lines all over. He donned a saffron turban for his appearance at the Red Fort in 2018.
Both Manipur and Uttarakhand are headed for polls next month.
