Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday inaugurate ‘Ámrit Vatika’, a special memorial garden at Kartavya Path in the national capital, marking the culmination of celebrations commemorating 75 years of India’s Independence.
The closing ceremony of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the programme celebrating 75 years of India’s Independence, will also see Mr. Modi address citizens from across the country, who have assembled at the national capital carrying soil in urns from their villages and cities.
On Monday, over 25,000 citizens from 7,000 blocks of 766 districts of the country marched on Kartavya Path singing patriotic songs accompanied by cultural presentations. Representatives from all States and Union Territories poured soil and rice carried in urns from their home towns into a giant pitcher called the ‘Amrit Kalash’. The programme included band performances by soldiers of the Border Security Force, the Central Industrial Security Force, and the Central Reserve Police Force.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur participated in the programme on Monday and poured soil from his home State Himachal Pradesh into the ‘Amrit Kalash’.
The soil from this pitcher will go into the creation of the ‘Amrit Vatika’ being built next to India Gate in an earmarked area of 12,000 square metres. The site will be ready for visitors in the next four to six months. It will be situated adjacent to the Netaji Bose statue under the Grand Canopy and the National War Memorial.
The ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ (My Country My Soil) campaign was launched on August 9 as a tribute to the bravehearts who have sacrificed their lives for the country.
Also as part of the programme, more than 233,000 plaques called ‘Shilaphalakams’, with the names of local heroes engraved on them, have been constructed across 36 States and Union Territories, and 40 million selfies with a special pledge have been uploaded on a dedicated website.
The campaign has also organised over 200,000 felicitation programmes honouring local bravehearts nationwide. The Ministry of Culture’s zonal cultural centres are also organising cultural programmes in rural areas to create awareness about the campaign.
The Prime Minister will also launch a platform for the youth of the country called ‘Mera Yuva Bharat’ (MY Bharat) on Tuesday, which also marks the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
MY Bharat is being established as an autonomous body to serve as a one stop whole-of-government platform for the youth of the country. It is expected to leverage technology for an enabling mechanism across the spectrum of the government, so that youth can realise their aspirations and contribute in nation building.
“The aim of MY Bharat is to inspire youth to become community change agents and nation builders, and enable them to act as the ‘Yuva Setu’ (youth bridge) between the Government and the citizens. In this sense, ‘MY Bharat’ will provide a major boost to ‘Youth-led development’ in the country,” a statement by the Union Culture Ministry said.
Published - October 30, 2023 09:30 pm IST
