Citizens from all walks of life, students and political leaders across Odisha paid homage to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary on Tuesday.
“Humble tributes to the beacon light of peace, nonviolence on Gandhi Jayanti. The revered ahimsa icon’s immortal ideals for a just & equitable society will always be the guiding force for all of us,” Tweeted Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Patnaik, Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat, Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra and several other leaders paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue in the premises of the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
On the occasion, Patnaik inaugurated a ‘Mahatma Gandhi Setu’ over the Kushabhadra river along the Balianta-Balakati Road. The 380-metre-long bridge has been constructed at a cost of Rs 27 crore.
A photo exhibition namely ‘Gandhiji & Odisha’ was also inaugurated at Gandhi Smruti Peetha in Balianta on the outskirts of the city.
Notably, the Odisha Government has decided to organise a number of programmes for the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi which would be celebrated for two years from October 2. Padayatras and memorial meetings would be held across the State during the period.
Besides, statues of Gandhi would be installed in all district headquarters as well as the places where the Mahatma had visited. A major road in each district would be named as Mahatma Gandhi Marg. One Kasturba gram panchayat would be identified in each block.
It has also been decided to incorporate the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi in the +2 syllabus.