MY Bharat Youth Volunteers to Organise Kargil Vijay Diwas Padyatra on 26th July to Honour 26 Years of India’s Victory

Drass (Kargil), July 25, 2025 — To commemorate the 26th anniversary of India’s historic triumph in the 1999 Kargil War, MY Bharat (Mera Yuva Bharat), under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, is set to organise a ‘Kargil Vijay Diwas Padyatra’ in Drass on July 26, 2025. The event is aimed at paying homage to the valiant soldiers who laid down their lives during the Kargil conflict and reinforcing patriotic values among the youth of the nation.

The commemorative walk will be led by Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, and Union Minister of State for Defence, Shri Sanjay Seth. Over 1,000 participants—including young volunteers, ex-servicemen, armed forces personnel, families of martyrs, and civil society members—will join the padyatra in a collective tribute to the fallen heroes.

The 1.5-kilometre march will start at 7:00 a.m. from the grounds of Himabass Public High School, Drass, and culminate at the Government Higher Secondary School, Bhimbet. The event will be followed by a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Kargil War Memorial, where the ministers, accompanied by 100 youth volunteers, will honour the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the nation.

As a special tribute, 26 women bikers from the Shakti Udgosh Foundation—who have undertaken a long-distance motorbike rally to pay homage to the martyrs—will also be felicitated at the Kargil War Memorial.

Another key highlight of the day will be a tree plantation drive under the government’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam“ campaign. This initiative seeks to merge patriotic duty with environmental stewardship, furthering the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 through sustainable and civic-minded actions.

In the run-up to this major event, MY Bharat has actively engaged local communities and schools in the region through several awareness-building activities. These include essay writing, painting competitions, elocution contests, and Yuva Samvads (youth dialogues). The pre-event programs aim to cultivate a sense of civic duty, valorize the stories of India’s bravehearts, and build a deep emotional connection between the youth and the nation’s armed forces.

The padyatra is a part of the larger Viksit Bharat Padyatras initiative—a nationwide programme that encourages youth engagement in commemorative events and promotes national unity. These padyatras align with the Prime Minister’s vision of Jan Bhagidari (people’s participation) in Rashtranirman (nation-building), bridging generations and communities in acts of shared national memory.

Through this patriotic initiative, MY Bharat continues to empower the Amrit Peedhi—the youth of today and leaders of tomorrow—by instilling the values of service, sacrifice, and unity that form the bedrock of India’s democratic and cultural ethos.