New Delhi: The tricolour was unfurled and colourful parades were held across India to celebrate the 75th Republic Day on Friday with states listing their achievements and outlining their development agendas.
Governors and chief ministers extended their greetings to the people on the occasion and called upon them to work for the development of the country.
Addressing a Republic Day function in Jammu, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said the government is committed to uprooting terrorism and efforts are underway for a final assault to eradicate the “unholy proxy war sponsored by a neighbouring country”.
He also reiterated the government’s commitment to holding elections for panchayats and urban local bodies.
Republic Day was also celebrated in Kashmir with functions held across district headquarters amidst tight security arrangements. Sinha’s Advisor Rajesh Rai Bhatnagar attended the main Republic Day function at Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium.
In Delhi, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena said in his Republic Day speech that the central and city governments are making sustained efforts to develop the national capital into a global and inclusive city.
Saxena highlighted various achievements made in the fields of public transport, health, power sector and ration supply.
The government is committed to giving top priority to health services and making them available to the people, he said.
“Delhi has modernised its public transport system. I am proud to inform you that by 2015, 85 per cent of the public transport buses will be electric in Delhi. That is a big achievement on the global level,” the LG said.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann unfurled the national flag at a Republic Day function in Ludhiana, inspected the parade and took a salute from an impressive march past by contingents of Punjab Police, Punjab Home Guards, Punjab Armed Police, NCC cadets and Punjab Police’s brass band.
Addressing the function, Mann again hit out at the Centre over the non-inclusion of the state’s tableau in the annual Republic Day parade, saying the occasion cannot be imagined without a state that has made countless sacrifices for the motherland.
The Centre has rejected as “baseless” Mann’s criticism of the BJP-led government for not including the state’s tableau in the Republic Day parade
The chief minister said Punjab shares a 553-km-long border with Pakistan and “drones, drugs, weapons keep coming in from there. We have to pay attention on that front too”.
In Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami hoisted the national flag at his official residence in Dehradun and called upon the citizens to collectively contribute towards making the vision of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ a reality.
In his address, the chief minister talked about how the benefits of welfare schemes had reached every section of society during the nine-and-a-half years of the Modi government and highlighted the steps taken during this period for empowering women.
He said the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act’ and the ‘Lakhpati Didi Yojana’ are examples of steps taken for women empowerment.
Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, who presided over a Republic Day function in Guwahati, said two major peace accords signed last year have placed the state firmly on the path of development.
He said the progress made in resolving boundary disputes with neighbouring states is another important achievement for Assam.
“Our welfare schemes show the government’s commitment to the welfare of the people. Peace is essential for development and we see development taking place now as peace has been established,” Kataria said.
In Tripura, Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu highlighted the government’s efforts to increase the income of farmers and boost tourism.
Rs 644 crore has been credited to the bank accounts of 2.46 lakh farmers in the state under the PM-Kisan scheme and 12.60 lakh farmers of the state have been brought under the PM Fasal Bima Yojana, Nallu said at a Republic Day function at the Assam Rifles Ground in Agartala.
Tripura has several tourist attractions and many steps have been taken to revamp the sector to create employment opportunities.
Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan underlined that good governance and social justice are the two important pillars of a government and said corruption should not be a barrier for people to avail benefits of welfare schemes.
He was addressing a gathering on the occasion of Republic Day in Ranchi’s Morabadi ground.
On the state government’s focus on agriculture, Radhakrishnan said, “As many as 49 irrigation schemes have been renovated, which has brought 59,000 acres of land under irrigation. Twenty-four other schemes are in the pipeline which will add 42,000 acres of additional land under such a facility.”
Chief Minister Hemant Soren hoisted the tricolour at the police line in Dumka and asserted that his government is working for the rights of the poor, deprived, labourers, farmers, tribals, Dalits and backward people.
Bihar Governor Rajendra V Arlekar said the state government is committed to providing 10 lakh jobs to youths and the target would be achieved soon.
He was speaking at a Republic Day function at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna that was also attended by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav.
“The Bihar government will soon achieve the target of providing 10 lakh government jobs… The state government is working in this direction as 3 lakh more posts in different departments have been created. The government has so far provided jobs to 3.63 lakh people in the state, and the recruitment drive is on,” he said.
Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais hoisted the national flag at Shivaji Park in Mumbai and urged citizens to unite to build a new and strong Maharashtra.
He said the state government has always given priority to the interests of farmers.
“More than Rs 2,100 crore compensation has been paid to 45.35 lakh farmers who were in trouble due to adverse conditions in the kharif season of 2023,” he said.
In Tamil Nadu, a march past by contingents of the armed forces and state police, and colourful cultural events were held to celebrate the Republic Day.
Governor R N Ravi and Chief Minister M K Stalin attended the state’s main Republic Day function.
During the event, Stalin presented the state government’s award for promotion of communal harmony to fact-checker Mohammed Zubair “in recognition of his contribution in prevention of violence” by debunking claims on social media that migrant workers were under attack in Tamil Nadu.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy unfurled the tricolour at his residence and offered floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar.
Later, he also paid tributes to war heroes at the Veerula Sainik memorial at the Parade Grounds in Hyderabad.
