Pb CM dedicates 3rd phase of Jung-E-Azadi memorial to Jallianwala Bagh massacre victims

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday dedicated the third phase of the 'Jung-E-Azadi' memorial here to the people who were killed in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the unsung heroes who were incarcerated in the Andaman Cellular jail during the freedom struggle.

The memorial would go a long way in spreading awareness among the younger generations about India's glorious past and the sacrifices made by the hundreds of thousands of people who fought to free Indians from the British shackles, he said.

On the occasion, the chief minister also digitally launched a slew of other projects for Jalandhar district, as part of Rs 450 crore worth of development and welfare projects inaugurated across the state on the eve of Independence Day.

Addressing a public gathering after dedicating the Rs 20 crore third phase of the Jung-E-Azadi memorial, Singh underlined the need to connect the youth with the glorious legacy of the national freedom struggle, according to an official release.

"It was important to imbue the youth with a spirit of nationalism and patriotism," he said.

Recalling his visit to the cellular jail in Andaman, the chief minister said it had inspired him to build a memorial as a mark of honour to the national heroes.

Singh said the first and the second phase of the memorial had been constructed at a cost of Rs 290 crore.

Meanwhile, Singh also laid foundation stones of a slew of development projects, worth Rs 265.15 crore, for Jalandhar and Kapurthala districts.

Of the projects unveiled by the chief minister, Rs 132.54 crore is being spent on the development projects in Kapurthala district in commemoration of the 550th 'Prakash Purab' of Guru Nanak Dev.

As part of the year-long celebration of the 550th Prakash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev, he inaugurated Guru Nanak Dev, Centre for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIIT) at the Sultanpur Lodhi campus of IK Gujral PTU at a cost of Rs 103 crore.