News Analysis India

Tag: Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav

  • Gorkhas hurt over AIWC’s ‘Nepali non-Indian language’ snub, threaten legal action

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Gorkhas across India are outraged after the All India Women Conference (AIWC) rejected a performance of artistes from the community on the ground that ‘Nepali’ is a “non-Indian” language.

    On June 9, AIWC executive member and the head of events Chandra Prabha Pandey had sent out a note asking for contributions for an event organised coinciding with “Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav”. The contributions were patriotic songs and dances performed in regional languages.

    When artists from Kalimpong in West Bengal had sent in their contributions, they were allegedly rudely told by Pandey “we cannot showcase performances in non-Indian languages”, the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP) alleged.

    This had prompted AIWC, Kalimpong secretary Aruna Pradhan to intervene but Pandey allegedly insisted “they cannot send national anthem sung in the Nepali language as it is not a language from India”.

    The BGP expressed shock over how Pandey conducted herself. “It is shocking the AIWC is absolutely ignorant that Nepali language/Gorkha Bhasa is one of the national languages of India spoken by 10.5 million Indian Gorkhas and duly recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution,” BGP youth wing general secretary Ramesh Bastola said.

    Darjeeling MP Raju Bista also expressed shock. “The AIWC has shown deliberate racism against the Gorkha community of our nation by claiming that Nepali is not an Indian language and not allowing a performance in the Nepali language,” he said.

    The Bharatiya Gorkha Yuva Parisangh asked Pandey to tender a public apology within 24 hours or she would be sued.

    “Our team will file an online petition too so that this incident doesn’t happen again,” a Gorkha leader said.

  • I hope Congress elects its president by 2024: Anurag Thakur hits out ahead of polls

    By ANI

    SHIMLA: Union Minister for Information and Broadcast; Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur on Friday flayed Congress for not having a full party president and said he hopes that the party chooses their president by 2024.

    “I hope Congress party elects its president by 2024,” he said when a reporter asked him about the agendas, on which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest the upcoming elections, during a press conference in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla.

    Anurag Thakur embarked on his Jana Ashirwad Yatra on Thursday from Chandigarh and held a press conference today in Shimla after flagging off Fit India Freedom Run 2.0 to celebrate the last week of ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’.

    The Union Minister also remarked that he has come into politics when politics entered sports.

    “When politics came in sports then I came in politics. Before that I was not there,” he said when asked whether he aspired to become a Union Minster after being in sports for a long time.

    Several other Union Ministers who were recently inducted in the Cabinet in July has commenced their Jan Ashirwad Yatra including Union Minister of Culture and Tourism G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy RK Singh, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan among others.

    During the press conference, Thakur also said as soon as the Monsoon Session of Parliament was over, all the ministers went to the parliamentary constituencies of their respective states. “I also made a five-day tour to cover four parliamentary constituencies of about 623 km including 37 Assembly constituencies. It will have around 90 events,” he added.

    Thakur further said no stone would be left unturned to facilitate sports.

    “I am very clear on some things. Land is needed for establishing a stadium or an academy. We will leave no stone unturned to facilitate sports wherever land is available,” said the Union Minister when reporters asked him about setting up a stadium in Shimla.

    The Union Minister also stressed the importance of setting up state of the art establishments in Shimla to promote tourism.

    “To promote tourism and make Shimla a hub of activities, a state of the art establishment should be set up here to attract people. At least 5 lakh people come to see Dharamshala stadium. A single stadium brought such a change and television has a big role to play,” he said.

    According to him, the Khelo India programme has fared well across the country.

    “When we started Khelo India programme, children got new opportunity. We are trying to organise many tournaments in every part of the country. We have received good response through Khelo india. Leagues played a vital role for the players,” he said. 

  • Freedom fighters remembered as PM inaugurates mega Independance Day celebrations

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Launching the 75-week long celebrations of India’s 75th years of Independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday turned the spotlight on unsung heroes who waged freedom struggles in various parts of the country.

    He specially recalled battles fought by the tribal in North-east, Jharkhand, Telangana and other parts of the country which were led by Kol, Khasi, Santhal, Naga, Bhil and Munda leaders. “Each and every struggle and fight was India’s strong declaration of truth against the forces of falsehood, a testimony to India’s independent temperament.

    These struggles represented the same consciousness and valour which was evident from the days of Ram, Kurukshetra of Mahabharat, Haldighati and the roar of Veer Shivaji,” said the Prime Minister. He flagged off a yatra from Sabarmati Ashram to commemorate the Dandi march.

    Modi also mentioned freedom movements, including Sanyasi, Ramoshi, Kittur, Travancore, Bardoli Satyagrah, Champaran Satyagrah, Sambhalpur, Chuar, Bundel and Kuka uprisings, which gave strength to the larger mobilisation of the people to fight.

    On Saturday, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar will inaugurate exhibitions to commemorate Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav. He will inaugurate seven exhibitions.  The ministry’s  Bureau of Outreach Communication on Friday organised photo exhibitions at 32 locations in various states.

  • 75-week celebrations of 75th year of Independence: Modi to flag off Yatra from Gandhi Ashram

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  To launch the 75-week long celebrations of India’s 75th year of Independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off a “Padyatra” from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on Friday, which will be accompanied by the beginning of a series of other cultural activities across the country.

    A national implementation committee headed by the Union Minister for Home Affairs, Amit Shah, has been constituted to chalk out policies and planning of various events to commemorate “Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav”, with the government looking for a larger people’s participation. 

    The government on Thursday said that the “Padyatra”, which will be led by Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, will be undertaken by 81 marchers from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi in Navsari.

    The 241-mile journey will end on April 5, lasting 25 days.

    “The Padyatra will be joined by different groups of people on the way to Dandi,” said the government in a media statement on Thursday. Patel will lead the first lap of 75 kilometers of the “Padyatra”.

    The government has also lined up curtain-raiser activities, which include a film, website, songs, Aatmanirbhar Charkha and Aatmanirbhar incubator.

    “Besides, a cultural programme presenting the celebration of the indomitable spirit of the country will also be organised. It will include music, dance, recitation, reading of the Preamble (each line in a different language, representing the different regions of the country). Depicting the youth power, as the future of India, there will be 75 voices in the choir as well as 75 dancers in the event,” added the government in the statement.

    Also, the state governments and the Union Territories have planned a number of activities on Friday for the launch of the 75-week long celebrations, which will culminate with the Indepence Day in 2021.

    Independence Day mega celebrations live on DD

    The I&B ministry has drawn up coverage plans for the 75th Independence Day celebrations.

    Starting from Friday, these events will showcase achievements of 75 years and give a framework for resolutions for the next 25 years. DD will cover these events live.

  • PM to launch ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’ on Friday, flag off march from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday inaugurate the ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’ event by flagging off a 241-mile march from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi in Gujarat’s Navsari district to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence, Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said Thursday.

    Addressing the media, the culture and tourism minister said the government has decided to organise a series of events to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence as ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’ from March 12, 2021, to August 15, 2022.

    States and Union Territories will also organize programmes on Friday, he said.

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’ and flag-off the march from Sabarmati Ashram tomorrow.

    “The 25-day march will cover 241 miles from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi in Navsari, and will end on April 5.

    Eighty-one people will participate in the padyatra and different groups of people will be joining it on the way to Dandi.

    “I will lead the first lap of 75 kilometers till Nadiad,” Patel said.

    Explaining the significance of choosing March 12 for the padyatra, the minister said it was on this day in 1930 that Mahatma Gandhi took out the famous Dandi march along with 81 people to break the law imposing tax on salt.

    The government has decided to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Independence as ‘Amrut Mahotsav’.

    Weekly events will be organized during the next 75 weeks till August 15 next year.

    Every week, an event will be held.

    To ensure involvement of all citizens in this mahotsav, various programmes will be organised with the culture ministry in supporting role, Patel said.