Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday inaugurated Prerna Sthal, a memorial built at Burdang in Sikkim to commemorate the soldiers of the Indian army who lost their lives in the GLOF (glacial lake outburst flood) that had rocked the mountain state in October last year.

Singh, who landed at the Bagdogra airport on Friday, had to cancel his trip to Sikkim because of inclement weather. Later in the day, he inaugurated the memorial in a virtual mode from Sukna, the headquarters of Trishakti Corps of the army, located around 10km from here.

“This memorial will remind us of the contributions of the army personnel. It will be an inspiration to every Indian and will encourage them to work for the country,” Singh said in a speech from Sukna.

In Burdong, senior army officers, along with Sikkim governor Om Prakash Mathur and chief minister P.S. Tamang, were present as Singh opened the memorial.

“In the coming days, the memorial will be an attraction for visitors. Anybody visiting Sikkim will feel the penchant to visit the memorial and the site as a whole,” the defence minister added.

Because of the GLOF, 22 Indian soldiers had lost their lives.

The memorial has been jointly built by the army and the Sikkim government.

During his visit, Singh was also scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the army commanders’ conference in Gangtok, a forward area near the India-China border.

“The conference has gained significance as it has been planned in Sikkim, a strategically important location for the country,” said a source.

This is the first time that the conference has been held outside Delhi.