New Delhi, 10 January (H.S.): The fourth edition of 'Veer Gatha 4.0', a joint initiative of the Ministries of Defence and Education as part of the Republic Day celebrations, received tremendous response across the country. This year, about 1.76 crore students from about 2.31 lakh schools participated in the competition. One hundred winners have been selected at the national-level in the competition, who will get a chance to watch the Republic Day parade as special guests on the path of duty.

According to the MoD, the winners have been divided into four categories and groups of 25 each have been formed. The Super 100 winners include 25 winners each from Class 3-5 in the first category, Class 6-8 in the middle category, Class 9-10 in the secondary category and Class 11-12 in the secondary category.

Project Veer Gatha 4.0 was launched on September 5, presenting a number of inspiring topics for essay and paragraph writing. Students got an opportunity to write about their chosen role models. They were also encouraged to gain knowledge about the inspiring lives of freedom fighters like Rani Lakshmibai, the First War of Independence of 1857 and the important role of tribal rebellion in India's freedom struggle.

In this project, schools organized activities at the local level. Apart from this, valor award winners organized nationwide dialogue programs (both offline and online). The diverse topics not only increased the quality of entries but also broadened the participants' understanding of India's historical and cultural heritage. The school level activities ended on October 31. After evaluation at the state and district level, about 4,029 entries were sent for national level evaluation. Out of this, the top 100 entries were selected as Super 100 winners.

According to the ministry, these winners will be jointly felicitated by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Education in New Delhi. Each winner will be given a cash prize of ₹10,000 and will get a chance to watch the Republic Day Parade on the path of duty as a special guest. In addition to the 100 national level winners, eight winners (two from each category) will be selected at the state / union territory level and four winners (one from each category) at the district level and they will be felicitated by the state / union territory / district authorities.

Project Veer Gatha was launched in 2021 as part of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' to commemorate the 75th year of India's independence.

The project aims to raise awareness about the heroic deeds of gallantry award winners and the life stories of these heroes. In the first two editions, 25 winners were selected at the national level, with around eight lakh students participating in the first edition and 19 lakh students in the second edition. The third edition achieved a significant milestone, with 100 national winners selected for the first time and participation increasing to 1.36 crore students. 1.76 crore students from 2.31 lakh schools across the country participated in Veer Gatha 4.0.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar