Kolkata, 10 September (H.S.): The West Bengal government will organise a series of programmes across the state to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on September 17, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Thursday. The state will launch the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ as part of the celebrations. Several programmes will also be organised on October 7 to mark 25 years of Modi’s continuous tenure in executive office as Chief Minister and Prime Minister.

Adhikari chaired a preparatory meeting at Nabanna, the state secretariat, with ministers, MLAs and senior officials to finalise arrangements for the programmes. After the meeting, he said the ‘Ashirbadon Ki Diya’ programme would be held across West Bengal after sunset on September 17, with more than one crore families expected to participate. The main programme will be organised along the banks of the Hooghly in Kolkata.

The Chief Minister said government and heritage buildings, including Nabanna, Victoria Memorial Hall and the former state secretariat, Writers’ Buildings, would be illuminated with diyas. Places of faith, including the Kalighat Temple, would also participate in the initiative.

As part of the ‘Bachchon Ke Sapnon Ka Bharat’ programme, students from more than 80,000 schools across West Bengal will participate in drawing, elocution, debate and quiz competitions. The programme will provide students an opportunity to express their vision and aspirations for a developed India by 2047.

The celebrations will also highlight the benefits people have received from various welfare schemes of the Central government, including PM Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat and PM Surya Ghar. Cycle and motorcycle rallies as well as padyatras will also be organised across the state on September 17.

The Chief Minister said October 7 would be observed with programmes at every district headquarters to mark 25 years of Modi’s continuous tenure in executive office. Narendra Modi became the Chief Minister of Gujarat on October 7, 2001, and continued in the post until he became the Prime Minister of India in 2014.

According to Adhikari, Prime Minister Modi will address all districts of the country virtually on October 7. Cleanliness drives and blood donation camps will also be organised in West Bengal on the occasion.

The state’s Tourism and Forest departments will jointly work on a 108-metre ‘Bharat Mandal’ art installation as part of the nationwide ‘Rangoli Rashtra’ and ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ initiatives. Adhikari also announced that the eastern leg of the Rashtriya Innovation Challenge would be held at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.

The Chief Minister said the meeting decided that the programmes would be organised on a large scale and with a focus on excellence, while also ensuring that West Bengal’s initiatives compare favourably with those undertaken in other states.

However, government programmes will not be organised in Nandigram and Rejinagar, where bypolls are scheduled and the Model Code of Conduct is in force. Adhikari clarified that political, private and social organisations would be free to organise programmes in the two constituencies in accordance with the applicable rules.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh