Amit Shah to head panel to mark Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary

New Delhi: The government has decided to constitute a high-level committee to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. This high-level committee will decide on the activities for a year-long commemoration starting 23 January 2021. The committee will be headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah as a tribute, and a mark of gratitude to the colossal contribution of Netaji in India’s freedom struggle.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while paying his tributes to Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, said, “India will always remain grateful to Subhas Chandra Bose for his bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. He was a stalwart who committed himself towards ensuring every Indian leads a life of dignity. Subhas Babu was also known for his intellectual prowess and organisational skills. We are committed to fulfilling his ideals and creating a strong India.”

The members of the High-Level Commemoration Committee will include experts, historians, authors, family members of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, as well as eminent persons associated with Azad Hind Fauj (INA). The committee will also lend guidance to the commemoration activities in Delhi, Kolkata and other places associated with Netaji and Azad Hind Fauj, both in India as well as overseas.

The Government of India has taken several steps in the recent years, towards preserving and conserving the precious heritage of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. A museum has been set up on Netaji at Red Fort, New Delhi, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on 23 January 2019. A permanent exhibition and a Light and Sound show on Netaji has been planned to be set up at Kolkata’s historic Victoria Memorial building.

In 2015, Government of India decided to declassify the files relating to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and make them accessible to public. The first lot of 33 files were declassified on 4 December 2015. Digital copies of 100 files related to Netaji were released by the Prime Minister, Modi on 23 January 2016 to meet the long-standing demand of the people.

During his visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2018, the Prime Minister paid tributes to Subhas Chandra Bose’s Provisional Government of Azad Hind, which were administered Islands during World War II. The Prime Minister renamed the islands in Andaman and Nicobar—‘The Ross Island’ as ‘Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep’, the ‘Neil Island’ as ‘Shaheed Dweep’, and the ‘Havelock Island’ as ‘Swaraj Dweep’ respectively.