Chandigarh, Dec 4 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday virtually unveiled the logo for the state-level 400th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Tegh Bahadur, to be held in a single phase in April-May 2021 in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, instead of the two-phased celebrations proposed earlier.
Chairing a meeting of the executive committee for the celebrations, the Chief Minister suggested dedicating the year-long celebrations to the ‘Hind Di Chadar’ as ‘Sarv Dharam’ year to mark the secular character of the nation.
It has been tentatively decided at the virtual meeting that the main programme should commence on April 23 and culminate with a grand event on May 1.
A ‘nagar kirtan’ will be held on April 23, starting from Guru Teg Bahadur’s birth place at Guru Ka Mahal in Amritsar and ending at Baba Bakala to mark the launch of the event.
Directing Tourism Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to prepare a proposal of works to be undertaken to commemorate the historic occasion, the Chief Minister said special development works should be undertaken in all 103 rural and urban areas of the state associated with Guru Teg Bahadur.
He suggested the allocation of Rs 40-50 lakh for each of the 80 villages and Rs 1 crore for development of the 23 urban areas in this respect.
Amarinder Singh accepted the suggestion of Speaker K.P.Rana that separate development projects and funds should be earmarked for Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur, the two towns associated with Guru Teg Bahadur.
The Chief Minister asked Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan to discuss with all department secretaries concerned and prepare a detailed list of projects and consolidated expenditure involved and submit them to the executive committee for approval.
He suggested submitting the list of projects subsequently to the Government of India for funding, as a committee had been formed for the Guru Teg Bahadur birth anniversary celebrations under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.
Finance Minister Manpreet Badal told the meeting that his department would arrange for requisite state-level funding once the list of projects is finalised
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