Gujarat forms state-level panel to coordinate 'National Unity Day' events

Gandhinagar: Gujarat will organise ‘Run for Unity’, unity pledges and cultural programmes across villages, towns and cities on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, with a state-level committee formed under Chief Secretary M. K. Das to coordinate the celebrations.

The programmes will be held across Gram Panchayats, talukas, municipalities and municipal corporations as part of National Unity Day, observed annually to promote national unity, integrity, security and social harmony in honour of Patel, widely known as the "Iron Man of India".

According to a release issued by the General Administration Department on Tuesday, programmes across the state will begin between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. with the collective singing of Vande Mataram, an Ekta Parade, patriotic performances by local artists and the felicitation of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to society.

Certificates will be presented to those honoured.

The Ekta Parade and other events at the Statue of Unity (SoU), in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be telecast live across the country from 5:30 p.m.

"The Prime Minister’s address will be watched collectively through a live telecast from 7:10 p.m.," the release said.

The celebrations will involve elected representatives, farmers associated with cooperative institutions, women’s groups and self-help groups, as well as representatives from the education, healthcare and other sectors.

Government institutions and local self-government bodies will also participate.

Unity rallies and cultural programmes are planned in villages, municipalities and municipal corporations, alongside the Unity Pledge and ‘Run for Unity’.

To oversee the arrangements, the state government has constituted a committee chaired by Chief Secretary M. K. Das, with senior civil service officers from the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Cooperation, Home, Revenue, Finance, Health, Urban Development, Education, Panchayat and General Administration departments as members.

District-level committees have been formed under the respective District Collectors, while taluka-level committees will be headed by Deputy Collectors or Class-I officers. At the municipal corporation level, the Mayor will chair the committee.

At the village level, Sardar Patel National Unity Committees have been established, comprising representatives from the Panchayat, the Revenue Talati, the Gram Sevak and village leaders.

The state-wide observance is intended to encourage public participation in commemorating Patel’s birth anniversary and reinforce the message of national unity.

Patel, independent India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, played a central role in integrating princely states into the Indian Union.

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