Center renames three Andaman-&-Nicobar islands to mark first-ever Tricolor hoisting
To mark the 75th anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose hoisting the Indian Tricolor at Port Blair for the first time, the Center has decided to rename three Andaman & Nicobar islands. The three islands are slated to get Indian names, which will be announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his trip to Port Blair on December 30. Here are the details.
What the three islands will now be called
The Center will rename Ross Island, Havelock Island, and Neil Island as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, Swaraj Deep, and Shahid Deep respectively. Reportedly, all formalities have been completed for the renaming procedure, and only PM Modi is left to announce them. PM Modi, who will visit the islands accompanied by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, will also hoist a 150-meter high Indian flag.
Netaji's relative had written to PM Modi with the request
The Center's decision comes a month after West Bengal BJP vice-president Chandra Kumar Bose, who is related to Netaji, had written a letter to PM Modi asking that the Andaman & Nicobar islands be renamed to mark the 75th anniversary of India's first-ever flag hoisting.
The first-ever hoisting of the Indian Tricolor
The occasion will mark the 75th anniversary of the first-ever hoisting of the Indian Tricolor. After the Japanese captured the Andaman & Nicobar islands during World War II, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the founder of the Indian National Army (INA), hoisted the Indian Tricolor at Port Blair on December 30, 1943. He also declared the islands to be first Indian territory to be freed from British rule.
The names Shahid Deep and Swaraj Deep were Netaji's idea
Netaji had also suggested that the Andaman & Nicobar islands be renamed to Shahid Deep and Swaraj Deep - names the Center will be using in the Indian freedom fighter's memory.
Other measures the Center has taken to mark the occasion
In October, PM Modi had launched a special plaque to mark the 75th anniversary of the Azad Hind Government, also formed by Netaji, on October 21, 1943. Then, last month, the Center also announced that it would issue a special Rs. 75 coin to mark the 75th anniversary of the first-ever hoisting of the Indian Tricolor.
What we know about the Rs. 75 coin
The 35 gram coin will bear an inscription of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose saluting the Tricolor in the background of the Cellular Jail in Port Blair. The inscriptions '75th' and 'anniversary' will be depicted below the portrait. Additionally, there will be an inscription in both English and Devanagari script, which will read 'First Flag Hoisting Day'.
