An Educational-cum-Motivational tour comprising 36 students and two teachers from far flung areas of Bani and Machhedi of Kathua District was flagged off from Bani, a Defence spokesman said.
The Gurj Division under the aegis of Rising Star Corps organised a 18-day tour, December 1-18, to Hyderabad-Secundrabad, Bangalore, Mysore, Chennai, Trivandrum and Kanyakumari.
The tour has been organised as part of the ongoing 'Op Sadbhavana', he added.
The aim of the tour is, to expose the young citizens to the rich, vivid and vibrant heritage of the nation, besides show casing the strides made towards becoming a developed nation, spokesman said.
The tour provides an excellent opportunity to the young students to broaden their horizon and help them in getting enmeshed with the national mainstream.
The children were extremely enthusiastic and excited about the tour as they would be crossing the boundary of the Jammu and Kashmir for the first time.
Also Read
"Thanks to the Army, now I will know the world beyond these mountains," Pawan Kumar, a 12-year old student, said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by other students and their parents.
The local populace who attended the function expressed their appreciation for the efforts of the Army as harbinger of peace and development in the tehsil.