Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday distributed sweets among army soldiers on the occasion of Diwali and interacted with them.
The Prime Minister also honoured and interacted with Army veterans at Nowshera in Jammu and Kashmir.
While addressing the soldiers, he lauded them for their effort in protecting the Indian borders and said that they are the "suraksha kawach" (armour) of the nation.
Earlier in the day, he paid tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Like all his previous years in the constitutional position, the Prime Minister celebrated Diwali with armed forces, this year also. He visited Indian Armed Forces in the Nowshera district where he was seen donning an army camouflage jacket.
The Prime Minister left for Nowshera early in the morning today with minimal security arrangements and no traffic restrictions in place on the route in Delhi.
Last year, PM Modi while celebrating Diwali with soldiers at Longewala in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan had said that as long as the Indian soldiers are present, this country's Diwali celebrations would continue in full swing and be luminescent.
In 2019, the Prime Minister had celebrated the festival with soldiers in the Rajouri district along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
In the preceding years as well, the Prime Minister has celebrated Diwali with Army soldiers and other personnel of paramilitary soldiers.
( With inputs from ANI )
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