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Enthusiasm marks Republic Day celebrations

Staff Correspondent

Rich tributes paid to the war heroes, martyrs and others for sacrificing their lives for the cause of nation

SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh Governor, Justice (Retd.) V.S. Kokje, on Thursday said that the hill State had made unprecedented progress in the fields of education, health and social sectors. Giving credit to the common people, he said the development was due to consistent efforts made by the hill folk.

Justice Kokje paid rich tributes to the war heroes, martyrs and others for sacrificing their lives for the cause of nation. He also urged the people to come forward for maintaining the unity and integrity of the country.

He also took the salute at the Republic Day march-past presented by the contingents of Police, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Home Guards, Army Regiments, NCC and Ex-Servicemen in extremely cold weather.

The Speaker of the Himachal Assembly, G.R. Musafir, unfurled the National Flag in Solan. Felicitating the people, he said that the architects of the Constitution had given us a parliamentary democracy which aims at social progress, equal opportunity of livelihood and provision of equal status and quality of life to all. He said Solan district is fast emerging as a hub of industry in North India after receiving the new industrial package by the Union Government.

Over 453 new industries had been set up with a total investment of Rs. 5339 crores which had provided employment to over 11,000 persons here, he said.

Mrs. Vidya Stokes, State Power Minister, at the Republic Day function in Bilaspur said that Rs. 135 crores were being spent under the Accelerated Power Development Programme in the State during the current financial year and a sum of Rs. 16 crores was being spent under the programme in Bilaspur district. She said that Rs. 3.32 crores were being spent under rural sanitation programme in the district and added that 50,000 toilets would be constructed under the programme. She said that Bilaspur district had also been included in the Rs. 365-crore Mid-Himalayan Watershed Development Project which would strengthen the economy of the district.

At Dharamsala, Irrigation and Public Health Minister Thakur Kaul Singh observed that the State Government had made history by holding the Winter Session of the State Legislative Assembly recently at Dharamsala.

Revenue Minister Sat Mahajan unfurled the flag in Sirmaur district and Taxation Minister Rangila Ram Rao in Kullu district.

In the snow-covered districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, Deputy Commissioner Amandeep Garg and Sub-Divisional Magistrate S.K. Singh unfurled the National Flag.

National Flag unfurled

CHANDIGARH: The Adviser to the Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, Lalit Sharma, unfurled the National Flag at the Parade Ground in Sector 17 here on Republic Day.

Speaking on the occasion, he observed that Chandigarh symbolised modern India and its residents were proud of their unique city due to its distinctive character and ambience. The Chandigarh Administration was moving on four broad fronts. It was endeavouring to provide an accessible and transparent administration with the help of information technology. Several services, for which citizens earlier had to go to government offices, were now available on computer and mobile phones. Rules were being simplified to make them user friendly.

Mr.Sharma said that the Administration was also working towards a higher rate of economic growth by encouraging economic activities which provided greater value addition, such as knowledge- based industries, high-end commercial activity and so on. "Chandigarh has the highest per capita income in the country, and we want to improve upon that base," he added. Moreover, the Administration was seeking to provide infrastructural services such as electricity supply, water supply, health and educational services and public transport comparable with those in advanced countries.

The special emphasis was on reaching out to those whom development had by-passed.

He said that the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, had added a fresh dimension to the economy of the city beautiful. The Administration was also considering the development of Chandigarh as a financial services hub. Projects like the Chandigarh Technology Park, Education City and Film City would further improve the level of economic activity.

Guard of Honour

CHANDIGARH: The Panjab University Vice-Chancellor, K.N. Pathak, hoisted the National Flag and inspected an impressive Guard of Honour on the University Campus here on Thursday. Addressing the gathering, Prof. Pathak recalled with gratitude the sacrifices and contributions of forefathers, patriots, freedom fighters and leaders and made an impassioned plea to devise adequate mechanisms to recreate institutional identity in the wake of new concepts of globalisation, liberalisation and borderless education. "Universities have been the unquestionable central players in the field of basic knowledge production as well as knowledge dissemination and the current scenario has made it imperative to have implicit and explicit understanding of university systems," he said.

Prof. Pathak further observed that a country of a billion people needed about 20 million seats in University systems whereas it had provision for six million seats for graduate programmes at present. There was a need to triplicate the capacity with emphasis on improving the quality substantially. He called for a cohesive, futuristic plan, which was bold, demanding and capable of executing. The increased level of literacy would result in knowledgeable society and industrial growth leading to increased employment. Meanwhile, the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee (CGEWCC) organised a function to mark the Republic Day at the Kendriya Sadan here. M.A. Bakshi, Vice President Income Tax Appellate Tribunal and Chairman of CGEWCC hoisted the National Flag in the presence of Central Government officers and employees.

Tight security in U.P.

Lucknow: The 57th Republic Day was celebrated with patriotic fervour and enthusiasm throughout Uttar Pradesh amidst tight security arrangements.

The main function was held in the State Capital on Thursday morning with Governor T V Rajeswar taking salute of the impressive march past by police, PAC jawans and school children who also took out several tableau on themes of national security and cultural heritage.

Children drawn from various city schools enacted scenes of security personnel repulsing terrorist attacks and depicting the defence might of the country during the parade. They also showcased the vast cultural heritage of the country enthralling the audience.

At another function, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav hoisted the tricolour at his official residence in the presence of his Cabinet colleagues and senior officials.

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Enthusiasm marks Republic Day celebrations

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