Jalandhar, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a centre dedicated to the study of life, philosophy and words of Sri Guru Ravidas here at Dera Sachkhand Ballan.
Sri Guru Ravidas Ji Bani Adhyayan Centre will come up over 10.4 acres at an overall cost of ₹37 crore, including ₹11 crore for the land. The Punjab government will bear the cost of construction, according to an official statement.
Mann laid the foundation stone in the presence of Dera Sachkhand Ballan Niranjan Dass.
The centre will have a three-storey administration and teaching block, boys' and girls' hostels with accommodation for 54 students each, and a two-storey building for teachers and staff.
It will provide children, students and research scholars a dedicated space to study the life, Bani, philosophy and teachings of Guru Ravidas and undertake research that carries the light of his wisdom and message across the world, it said.
The foundation stone has been laid as part of the Punjab government's year-long celebrations of the 650th 'Parkash Purab' of Guru Ravidas, for which ₹100 crore has been earmarked.
{{/usCountry}}The foundation stone has been laid as part of the Punjab government's year-long celebrations of the 650th 'Parkash Purab' of Guru Ravidas, for which ₹100 crore has been earmarked.
{{/usCountry}}As part of these celebrations, 50 mobile vans are travelling across all 23 districts to screen documentaries on his life, philosophy and teachings in 13,000 villages, taking his message of equality, humanity and dignity to people across Punjab, the statement said.
Mann said this centre will go a long way in undertaking extensive "adhyayan" of Guru Ravidas's words, besides being instrumental in propagating his teachings in every nook and corner of the world.
"I hope that this centre will act as a lighthouse for further perpetuating the ideology of Sri Guru Ravidas so that our future generations can seek inspiration from his Bani," he said.
Linking the initiative with the state government's efforts in education, he said, "Our government has prioritised education and has taken path-breaking initiatives in the education sector to transform the lives of people.
Mann said no freebie or concession cards can eliminate poverty or other social maladies in the state but education is the key that can pull people out of this vicious circle by raising their standard of living.
"Due to this, our government is tirelessly making efforts to improve the standard of education to empower the common people," he said.
"Guru Ravidas gave the message of welfare of the entire humanity and equality of all sections of society, thus creating a society based on egalitarian values," he said.
Guru Ravidas laid out the concept of such an ideal society where nobody undergoes suffering of any kind and through his teachings, he raised a powerful voice against caste discrimination and social inequality and showed the path of humanity, compassion, equality and dignity to mankind, Mann said.
He was accompanied by cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Aman Arora, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, Mohinder Bhagat, Ravjot Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Lal Chand Kataruchak; Lok Sabha MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal; Chairman, Punjab State Cooperative Agriculture Development Bank, Pawan Kumar Tinu; Advisor, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Deepak Bali; MLAs Balkar Singh and Inderjit Kaur Mann; and others.
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