Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words, Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Thursday said that realising the idea of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ will be the greatest tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel from modern India. Addressing the Run for Unity marathon organized on the 144th birth anniversary of India’s first Deputy Prime Minister in Ranchi, Das urged the people of Jharkhand to tread the path shown by Patel and strengthen the bond between people belonging to different cultures and ethnicity. “We all must pledge to stand united and do whatever we can to further strengthen our unity,” said Das while flagging off the Run for Unity at Zila School.
Prime Minister Modi launched ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (ESBS)’ project in October 2015 with an aim to strengthen the bond between different states in the country through cultural exchange and awareness. Said to be a pet project of Modi, the ESBS is being directly monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi, media reports say. In the most recent impetus to the project, various ministries involved in it have been asked to intensify the efforts to increase people-to-people exchange across states and educational institutions. Addressing a gathering at Zila School, Das on Thursday asked people of Jharkhand to put nation first and vow to maintain its unity. “Our nation should be our priority – it should be of paramount importance,” said Das, adding that the unity of India was the greatest strength and the most valuable asset for its citizens. “We should be ready to give befitting answers to any person or organization that questions our unity,” he said.
Throwing light on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government’s initiatives at the Centre, the Chief Minister said that Modi-led Government at the Centre came up with the idea of National Run for Unity Day as tribute to the great leader, Vallabhbhai Patel in 2014. “The Government gave due respect to Sardar Patel and paid tribute to him in the most meaningful way. No Government had thought of it before 2014,” he said.
Das said that had Patel looked into the matter of Jammu & Kashmir back in the day, he would have solved the issue that has plagued the country since independence. The Modi-led Centre repealed article 370 and 35(a) of the Constitution earlier this year and took away Kashmir’s special status – a bone of contention for several years.
Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth, Koderma MP Annapurna Devi and Kanke Legislator Jeetu Charan Ram attended the Run for Unity programme in Ranchi along with Das. Besides, top officials, including Chief Secretary DK Tiwari and Director General of Police Kamal Nayan Choubey were also present. Later in the day, Das laid the foundation for three textile mills in Budmu here. The mills, he said, will provide employment to at least 20,000 youths. “After 2014, the Government strengthen the State's economic system.
There have been tireless efforts to make the youth of this place skilled. In order to implement this effort, a number of policies were framed in 2015 to boost industries here,” said Das. The Chief Minister said that units of textile industry are constantly being set up in Jharkhand, in which the government's focus is on women empowerment. “80 per cent of the jobs in textile industry will be given to the women of Jharkhand and 20 per cent to the men,” he added.