The NWM has been built on 40 acres of land at India Gate C-Hexagon. It has been built for honouring about 26,000 soldiers who had laid down their lives in wars and operations since Independence

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the National War Memorial on February 25, even as he will address an important meeting of ex-servicemen before that, officials said on Tuesday.

The consecutive steps being taken towards the military this month, which includes the allocation of the defence budget, announcement of the inauguration of the National War Memorial (NWM) and the meeting with the ex-servicemen, comes weeks before the general elections.

Officials said that the Prime Minister will be “dedicating” the NWM “to the nation” on February 25. The construction of the NWM began in July 2017. Although it had slipped several deadlines, the inauguration by February would be a record time, because a memorial of this size usually takes at least two years to construct, sources added.

The NWM has been built on 40 acres of land at India Gate C-Hexagon. It has been built for honouring about 26,000 soldiers who had laid down their lives in wars and operations since Independence. It is the only memorial in the country, where the names of personnel of the triservices is under one roof.

At the memorial, 3.8 metres has been dug down, where the ‘Amar Chakra’ comprising of a 15 metre tall obelisk and the ‘Veerta Chakra’ in which six important battles of the army, air force and navy have been depicted in bronze, are located. Then is the ‘Tyag Chakra’ wherein names of about 25,700 battle casualties have been written on a 1.5 metre wall. Each individual name has its own tablet. The outermost tier is the ‘Suraksha Chakra’, comprising of 695 trees, depicting ‘standing soldiers guarding the nation’.

The memorial will also have a 14 lakh litre water storage tank for rainwater harvesting, keeping the area green and cool, and preventing water clogging. It will also have other features such as artificial lighting for evenings and a walking plaza.

Meanwhile, officials also said that prior to the inauguration, PM Modi will address a meeting of ex-servicemen on February 25 as well at the National Stadium in Delhi.