Bhubaneswar, Jun 17 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 25 lakh each as ex-gratia on Wednesday for the families of the two Odia soldiers killed in a violent clash with Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley.

Expressing deep grief over the death of the Odia soldiers in the faceoff, Patnaik announced the ex-gratia amount from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF), an official at the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

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"I am anguished at the news of two Odia soldiers being martyred in a clash in Ladakh's Galwan Valley. The patriotism and sacrifice of the two brave soldiers will be remembered forever," Patnaik said in a message, while conveying sympathies to the bereaved families.

The chief minister praised the bravery and courage of the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the motherland and conveyed his deepest sympathies to the bereaved families.

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Chandrakanta Pradhan (28) of Biarpanga village in Kandhamal district's Raikia block and Naib Subedar Nanduram Soren (43) of the Rairangpur area of Mayurbhanj were among the Indian soldiers killed in the clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh's Galwan valley.

Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a colonel, were killed in the clash on Monday night, the biggest military confrontation between the militaries of the two countries in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border-standoff in the region.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)