Jharkhand is likely to hold a low-key Foundation Day ceremony at the Project Building in the State capital for the second year in a row owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, highly placed sources in the government said on Saturday. However, the state will launch a flurry of programmes to bridge the gap between the government and common public this Statehood Day, sources added.
Every year, the Jharkhand government holds elaborate celebrations at Morhabadi Ground on Statehood Day, celebrated on November 15. This year, however, the state is unlikely to organise a cultural event or a music night in the wake of the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Statehood Day ceremony will be held on the second floor of Project Building in Dhurwa. We may give cultural programmes and grand celebrations a miss this year too,” said an official involved in the preparations for Foundation Day.
During the Foundation Day ceremony, the state will announce several welfare schemes, lay foundation for new schemes and inaugurate schemes that are ready to be rolled out. According to sources, Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh has directed the officials concerned of various departments to make necessary preparations for the big day.
Jharkhand celebrates November 15 as Statehood Day since the year 2000, when it got bifurcated from erstwhile Bihar. November 15 is also the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Birsa Munda, and following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion, the state is likely to hold major vaccination drives on the day in tribal-dominated areas.
A source from the Chief Minister’s Office in Ranchi said that the government will run Aapke Adhikari, Aapki Sarkar, Aapke Dwaar programme, a door-to-door campaign under which the government will spread awareness among commoners about the various welfare schemes and accept forms for ration cards under food security campaign. This programme will be launched on November 16 and continue till the current Hemant Soren government’s second anniversary on December 29.
Senior government officials have directed all the districts to set up special camps at block level to ensure the success of Aapke Adhikari, Aapki Sarkar, Aapke Dwaar programme during this period.
On the completion of two years of the ruling government, a mega event is likely to be organised at Morhabadi Ground in Ranchi, sources said. The government plans to distribute appointment letters during this event and share the achievements of the government during these two years, most of which was affected by Covid-19.