PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Jyotirmath Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami made various important announcements while attending the Armed Forces Flag Day at Sawad in the border district of Chamoli on Sunday. Dhami announced that after the Nanda Devi Raj Jat, the process of handing over the Gwaldam-Dewal-Van motor road to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) will be started. This will help improve the quality of the road, its maintenance and safety arrangements on this stretch in the future. He also said that construction of the road to link Rampur Torti with the Kumaon region is a priority of the government. The CM also approved the construction of mini-stadiums in Talwadi area of Tharali and Lankhi area of Nandanagar. These will enhance sports facilities for the local youths, he said. Dhami also announced that the Amar Shahid Sainik Mela in Sawad will be a State fair, as the local residents and ex-servicemen had been waiting for this for a long time. Visiting the Sainik Smriti museum at Sawad, he paid tribute to the soldiers who had made the supreme sacrifice for the security of the nation. Stating that he himself hails from a soldier’s family, he said that visiting Sawad had refreshed the stories of valour his father had narrated to him. The CM said that there has been historic improvement in the Indian armed forces and the defence sector under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. There was a time when India was dependent on foreign nations for defence equipment but has now developed into one of the leading nations exporting defence equipment. Citing the recent Operation Sindoor, he said that the nation’s strategic capabilities, the courage of its soldiers and weapons made in India have strengthened the nation’s prestige at the global level. Citing social challenges in the State, he said that the government has taken decisive steps to check abnormalities like love and spit Jihads, to ensure the cultural identity and protect social harmony in the State.