Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday constituted 36-member State-level committee to prepare for Guru Nanak Dev’s 550th anniversary celebration in 2019.
Former PM Manmohan Singh has been requested to be the patron-in-chief of the Committee, chaired by the CM, and entrusted with the task of planning and making necessary arrangements to celebrate the historic occasion in a befitting manner.
Punjab’s all Ministers, State unit presidents of all major political parties including Congress, SAD, BJP and AAP, some MPs and MlAs, besides the SGPC president are the members of the Committee.
The Committee will oversee and monitor arrangements to prepare and execute the schedule of celebrations, events and activities to be undertaken to mark the important occasion.
The Chief Minister has also decided to request the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to constitute and chair a National level Organising Committee, under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Culture, to coordinate and work in collaboration with the State Government to make the event a success.
Besides the MPs from Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Jalandhar, the Committee would have, as its members, MPs Ambika Soni, Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Naresh Gujral, along with MlAs Navtej Singh Cheema, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Rana Gurmit Singh.
Other members of the Committee include former Union Minister Preneet Kaur, Ajit chief editor Barjinder Singh Hamdard, eminent historians JS Grewal, Kirpal Singh and BN Goswamy. Kapurthala’s MVC Brig (retd) Sukhjit Singh, Punjab Arts Council chairman Prof Surjit Patar, eminent environmentalist Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, The Anhad Foundation chairman Bhai Baldeep Singh.
Besides, Chief Secretary to the Government of Punjab, Chief Principal Secretary to CM, Financial Commissioner (Revenue), Principal Secretary (Tourism and Cultural Affairs), Secretary (Information and Public Relations Department), Jalandhar Divisional Commissioner, GNDU Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Commissioners of Kapurthala and Gurdaspur districts will also be its members, with the state Tourism and Cultural Affairs director as its Convener.