Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said on Saturday that he drew inspiration of formulating nation’s first food security and nutrition security law to distribute rice to poor families of State at nominal rate of Rs1/kg, from Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh, who in 1856 years had extorted foodgrains from store of an elite family and distributed it to drought-affected hungry farmers and villagers of Sonakhan and saved their lives.
Singh announced a life-size bronze statue of Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh will be erected at his native village Sonakhan where the State Government hosted a function in which BJP president Amit Shah was the chief guest. Singh accorded Shah a warm welcome at the function by adorning him with ‘Gaur Sing’ headgear.
Singh also announced sanction of Rs15 lakh for renovation of Veer Narayan Singh’s ancestral home and a local pond. He stated that Veer Narayan Singh has been entitled as the first martyr of Chhattisgarh in Indian Freedom Movement.
As Chief Guest of the programme, Shah said, “this valorous land of Sonakhan is sacred for every patriot’’. He added, “I feel fortunate to have visited this place of Chhattisgarh, where the freedom fighter Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh was born,’’.
Shah further remarked that Veer Narayan Singh had made tremendous contribution in the fight for Independence against British rule in year 1857. “His love for the country and compassion for poor people is inspiring for entire humanity,” Shah observed.
Shah welcomed Dr Singh’s announcement of putting up a life-size bronze statue in Sonakhan. Shah said that it is a way of honouring all the freedom fighters of Chhattisgarh.
In the programme, Singh and Shah felicitated the successors of Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh, Rajendra Singh Diwan, Ramsingh, Anjor Singh, and Mrs. Jeerabai with shawl and ‘shreefal’.
On the occasion, the State Government’s Forest Minister Mahesh Gagda, School Education and Tribal Development Minister Kedar Kashyap, former Vidhan Sabha Seaker and the current BJP State chief Dharamlal Kaushik, MlA of Sihava area Shravan Markam, MlA of Antagarh Bhojraj Nag, Member of State Scheduled Tribe Commission Vikas Markam and several senior BJP leaders were present.