Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said on Saturday that he would personally extend an invitation to President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Hamid Ansari to attend the function for celebrating the 350th foundation day of Sri Anandpur Sahib from June 17-19, this year.
A decision to this effect was taken in a high level review meeting held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister to finalise the arrangements for this mega event. Badal said Union Cabinet Ministers and the Chief Ministers of all the States of the country have already been sent invitation through demi-official letters.
He said that in line with the ideology of Sikhism regarding secularism and Unity in Diversity, the leaders of all the religions were also invited in this mega event.The Chief Minister said religious leader of Tibetans the Dalai lama, Shankracharya of Dwarka Peeth, Swami Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar besides the key leaders of Muslim and Christian community were also being invited for the function.
Approving the draft of invitation card prepared by Vice chancellor of Punjabi University Dr. Jaspal Singh, the Chief Minister said that the invitation must be printed in Punjabi, Hindi and English languages and it should have brief history of Sri Anandpur Sahib on it.
Badal also asked the Principal Secretary Cultural Affairs to publish a booklet on foundation, history and importance of Sri Anandpur Sahib in due consultation with the eminent historians. He announced to initiate a special project for compiling the entire history of Sri Anandpur Sahib and asked the Punjabi University to undertake this work.
In another related development, the Chief Minister, during a telephonic conversation with Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal, asked him to include Sri Anandpur Sahib in the ambitious scheme of Government of India (GoI) to install lED Bulbs in 100 cities of the country.
Goyal assured him that owing to its historic significance Sri Anandpur Sahib would be covered under this scheme as per which lED bulbs would be installed in all the street lights of the city.
The CM asked the Deputy Commissioner Roopnagar to ensure that all the roads leading to and within Sri Anandpur Sahib were repaired at the earliest. He also asked the Principal Secretary Finance to issue Rs2 crore for this purpose.