Rajnath hails mountaineering expeditions to Sikkim Himalayas to mark 75th Independence Day

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday hailed a group of mountaineers who scaled four small peaks of the Himalayas in Sikkim to mark the 75th year of independence, saying such events will promote patriotism through adventure among the youth, the Defence Ministry said.

“Singh flagged-in a climb-a-thon organised by Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), Darjeeling to celebrate ”Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” in New Delhi,” according to an official statement. “The climb-a-thon, under the leadership of Group Captain Jai Kishan, was conducted at Mt Rhenock, Mt Frey, Mt BC Roy and Mt Palung by a team of 125 mountaineers,” the ministry”s statement noted.

The national tricolour, measuring 7,500 sq ft and weighing 75 kg, was hoisted atop Mt Rhenock at an altitude of 16,500 ft above sea level, the statement said. The point where the national flag was hoisted has been named after the first freedom fighter from Sikkim, Trilochan Pokhrel, fondly remembered as Gandhi Pokhrel, it noted.

The feat was recorded as the biggest Indian national flag hoisted atop a mountain in the Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records, it said.  Under ”Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”, a number of events have been organised across the country to celebrate 75th Independence Day.