Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal on Sunday said the State Government is working to improve the value system in society by introducing Bhagwad Gita in the textbooks and propagating Yoga.
The Surajkund International Crafts Mela has played a seminal role in preserving the vanishing arts and bringing the youth closer to history and culture, said he while speaking after inaugurating the 29th edition of Surajkund Mela at Faridabad, in the presence of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Raman Singh.
The 15-day long Mela will remain open to public daily from 10.30 am to 8.30 pm. The inaugural ceremony was marked by enthralling performances by Haryanvi dancers who danced to the theme of saving the girl child, and artistes from Chhattisgarh and lebanon.
The Chief Minister also launched mobile application of the ‘Surajkund Mela’ and appreciated the Information and Technology (IT) initiatives undertaken by the Surajkund Mela Authority and Haryana Tourism. The Mela had helped inculcate the feeling of brotherhood, love and bonding among different cultures and continents and appreciated the contribution made by theme state Chhattisgarh in presenting the folk traditions in a very impressive way, said he.
The Chief Minister said that Haryana which has a rich culture and ancient heritage is promoting tourism in a big way. Plans have been drawn to develop ancient cultural sites like Adibadri at Kapalmochan, Yamunanagar, which is origin of the sacred Saraswati river.
Manohar lal said that Karna lake at Karnal would also be developed under circuit tourism and Narnaul-Mahendargarh-Madogarh mega tourism circuit would be developed at a cost of Rs50 crore. The air strips in Hisar and Karnal would also be expanded.
Speaking on the occasion, Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said that he was elated to see more than 20 countries participating here with lebanon as partner nation. After a gap of 10 years, Chhattisgarh had got the opportunity to be the theme State at the Mela. Surajkund Mela, a platform for exchange of crafts, cultures and folk traditions attracts, on an average, over a million visitors, including thousands of foreigners.