Need a structured war history of Indian soldiers: Jaitley

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley today tasked Army chief Gen. Dalbir Singh with preparing a structured history of all the wars that India Army has fought.
Jaitley said that there is a need today to have a structured history of the contribution of Indian soldiers, both in book and the digital format.
"That is something which has been missing. I've just requested the army chief," Jaitley said at the commemoration ceremony of India's contribution to World War I, which was organised here by the British High Commission.
Noting that scholarly work is required in this regard, Jaitley said at the event, "The United Service Institution of India has said they have a lot of material on some recent wars... So, I don't see why that can't be done."

He added that the government was in the process of finalising the plan for the setting up of a war memorial, particularly for those who have been martyred or made great contribution post 1947.
The Defence Minister, earlier, expressed a similar view at the 'Smarananjali' programme organised here on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

"I have started having this feeling that the history of these wars, its compendium, is made available so that future generations can know about it," Jaitley said.
The 'Smarananjali' programme was organised to pay tributes to those soldiers who died in the line of duty while defending the country in the 1965 war.

Singer Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramaniam, Suresh Wadkar and violinist L Subramanian were among those who performed at the event.
The Army chief, Air Force Chief Arup Raha and Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan were also present during the programme.
Recalling that the 1965 war took place during his school days, Jaitley said that the names of Lt. Col. Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore and Hawaldar Abdul Hamid had become household names. "None can forget their sacrifices," he said.
The 1965 war event was organised by Doordarshan. It was conceptualised in the form of a lyrical tribute by artistes to the martyrs.
The Defence Minister also honoured Capt. Bana Singh and Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav (both recipients of Param Vir Chakra) at the function.