Indian Army, China's PLA meet at Nathu La, Ladakh
New Delhi/Jammu, Aug 15 : The Indian Army and China's People Liberation Army (PLA) on Wednesday held two special meetings of border personnel at Nathu La in the Sikkim sector and Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir to boost mutual trust and promote peace.
Both the meetings happened on the Indian sides to commemorate the 72nd Independence Day of India. The PLA delegations, comprising several officers and soldiers, attended the celebration following an invitation.
In Sikkim, the Defence Ministry said: "The celebration took place in an atmosphere of warmth and friendship, with an aim of enhancing mutual trust and promoting border peace and tranquility."
The two forces had held a similar meeting to celebrate the 91st anniversary of the foundation of PLA on August 1.
"Such interactions between the two armies have resulted in enhancement of goodwill and mutual understanding between the two nations," said a statement from the Ministry.
Beside interactions between the armies, programmes portraying the cultural diversity of the two countries were presented by both sides on the occasion, said the statement.
Situated at 4,310 metres above sea level, Nathu La -- a mountain pass in the Himalayas in East Sikkim district -- connects the Indian state of Sikkim with Tibet.
Indian troops deployed in remote and high altitude areas of North Sikkim also celebrated Independence Day by hoisting the national flag at different forward posts with great zeal.
Another Indian Army delegation led by Brigadier V.K. Purohit and Colonel Anil Kumar Sharma met a Chinese delegation headed by Senior Colonel Wang Jun Xian and Lt Col Li Ming Ju at Chushul-Moldo and DBO-TWD meeting points in Eastern Ladakh, said the Army's Northern Command spokesperson.
"The ceremonial was marked by saluting the national flag of India by both the delegation members. Both the delegations interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment. The two sides exchanged greetings and vote of thanks and reflected the mutual desire of maintaining and improving relations at functional level at the border," he said.
"The delegations parted amidst feeling of friendship and commitment towards enhancing the existing cordial relations and maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)," said the official.
He added that both sides also sought to build on the mutual feeling to uphold the treaties and agreements signed between the governments of the two sides to maintain peace and tranquility along the LAC.
The three back-to-back meetings between the two armies in the span of a fortnight follow an informal summit in Wuhan in China between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
India and China fought a war in 1962 and claim each other's territory. The two armies were also locked in a dragging military stand-off last year on the border.
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Padma awardees in Odisha to receive monthly honorarium of Rs 30,000
Bhubaneswar, Jan 16 (PTI): The Odisha government will provide a monthly honorarium of Rs 30,000 to each of the Padma awardees of the state from the current month.
The Odia Language Literature and Culture Department issued a notification to this effect on Thursday.
In view of their outstanding contribution to society in various fields, the state government has decided to provide an honorarium of Rs 30,000 to the Padma awardees, the notification said.
All the Padma awardees of the state, who are alive, will receive the honorarium through direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode from January 2025, it said.
The government has asked collectors and culture officers of all districts to submit details of the Padma award winners (who are alive) including the district collector's certificate, bank account details, IFSC code to the Directorate of Odia, Language, Literature and Culture as soon as possible.
In March last year, the previous BJD government had announced a monthly honorarium of Rs 25,000 for the Padma awardees from Odisha. However, it was not implemented yet, an official of the department said.
In November last year, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had decided to provide Rs 30,000 to the Padma awardees of the state. Accordingly, the formal notification was published on Thursday, he said.
The Padma Award was introduced in 1954. The award is given to personalities for their outstanding contribution in the fields of arts, education, science, sports, social work, public service, medicine, literature, etc.
As per the Padma Awards website of the Ministry of Home Affairs, till now, the President has conferred Padma awards on 105 eminent personalities from Odisha, which includes 90 Padma Shri, 11 Padma Bhushan and four Padma Vibhushan.
