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73rd Himachal Day: Commemorative function concludes within seven minutes amid Covid-19 crisis
Traditionally, the day is celebrated with much aplomb but this year only the Tricolour was unfurled.
No trademark lengthy speeches, big announcements or cultural items, this year’s Himachal Day celebrations were a brief and solemn affair.
With the spectre of the highly contagious novel coronavirus looming on the nation, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur ensured that the commemorative ceremony concluded within seven minutes.
Arriving sharp at 11am, the chief minister, who was accompanied by accompanied by chief secretary Anil Khachi, director general of police Sita Ram Mardi, education minister Suresh Bhardwaj, Shimla deputy commissioner Amit Kashyap and superintendent of police Omapati Jamwal, unfurled the flag on the historic Ridge on the Mall Road.
On April 15, 1948, Himachal Pradesh came into existence as a centrally administered Chief Commissioner’s province with the merger of 30 small hill states. This day has been celebrated with much aplomb since. However, this year only the flag was unfurled.
Thakur, high-ranking officials and the police contingent that attended the ceremony wore masks. The CM refrained from speaking to the media and immediately returned to his official residence at Oakover and presided over a meeting to review containment efforts.
In his message, the CM expressed his gratitude to the people of state for contributing to the journey of inclusive development. He said a special function had not been organised this year in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
Governor Bandaru Dattreya also unfurled the flag in the premises of the Raj Bhawan to mark Himachal Day. Later, he spoke with former chief ministers Shanta Kumar, Virbhadra Singh and Prem Kumar Dhumal and asked them to encourage people to download the Aarogya Setu Mobile App.
Khachi said the decision to cut a day’s salary of government employees was taken to generate a sense of oneness and to encourage them to contribute funds to battle the Covid-19 pandemic.
Himachal was made a Part C state with a legislative assembly in 1952 and the first popular government was formed under the leadership of Dr YS Parmar. HP became the 18th state of Indian Union on January 25th 1971.
