E-Paper
Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur pays tributes to Sardar Patel, Indira Gandhi
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur paid tributes to India’s first deputy Prime Minister and home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 146th birth anniversary; homage was also paid to former PM Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday paid tributes to India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 146th birth anniversary and said Sardar Patel sacrificed every moment of his life for “Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat”.
Earlier, the chief minister also paid floral tributes to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who laid down her life for the unity and integrity of the nation. He also administered an oath of unity on the occasion.
While addressing the people on the occasion, the chief minister said Sardar Patel always wanted India to be strong, inclusive, alert and developed.
He said this day was observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day since 2014 marking the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who is credited with uniting all the 562 princely states of the pre-independent country, to build the Republic of India.
Thakur said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who decided to construct the Statue of Unity as a mark of respect to the colossal statue of the Indian statesman and Independence activist Saradar Patel.
While remembering former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 37th death anniversary celebrated as Rashtriya Sankalp Divas, he said Indira Gandhi played a major role in maintaining the unity and integrity of the nation.
He also appreciated the people of the state for strictly adhering to the SoPs of the state government to help check the spread of Covid. He said the state had emerged as the first state in the country to achieve the target of a cent per cent first dose administration of Covid vaccine and now was poised to achieve the target of cent per cent vaccination of eligible age group by end of November this year.
The chief minister also administered the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge to the people on the occasion.
An impressive march past was presented by the contingents of the police, home guard, NCC, NSS and Scouts and Guides led by DSP Ankit Sharma.
Urban development minister Suresh Bhardwaj, former speaker Radha Raman Shastri, mayor, Shimla municipal corporation, Satya Kaundal, chairman, HIMFED, Ganesh Dutt, chief secretary Ram Subhag Singh, director-general of police Sanjay Kundu, secretary, GAD, Devesh Kumar, deputy commissioner, Shimla, Aditya Negi, director, information and public relations, Harbans Singh Brascon, senior civil, military and police officers were present on the occasion.
