In order to pay respect to the real-life heroes of the nation and to promote nationalism amongst the students, Rajasthan has decided to name three schools in Bikaner after the martyrs. These war heroes include Major Puran Singh, Vir Chakra, Grenadier Rafiq Khan, Vir Chakra, and Major Bhupendra Singh, Shaurya Chakra. The schools to be named after the martyrs (in the same order) include the senior secondary fort school, senior secondary school at Gota Gate, and upper primary schools at Khajuwala.
Major Puran Singh sacrificed his life in the 1965 war against Pakistan while Grenadier Rafiq khan attained martyrdom in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Talking about Shauya Chakra Major Bhupendra, he gave away his life for the nation while he was a part of Operation Manipur in the year 1994.
This policy of naming schools after the martyrs was introduced initially to honor the national heroes of the Kargil war but later gallantry award holder martyrs were also added. As per a recent amendment, the schools can now be named after every martyr who died in operations, before or after April 1, 1999. This means that the authorities are now free to recommend names of any warrior who sacrificed his life in any war or operation.
The process started in the year 2016 whereby the district education officers and Army Welfare Board identify soldiers’ names and recommend which school should be renamed. Rajasthan aims to cover the names of all heroes during the war of 1965, 1971, and 1999, as well as the proxy wars.
