Delhi CM, city BJP chief, NDMC officials light up 1.25 lakh lamps on PM Modi’s birthday

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) On the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on Thursday, the NDMC celebrated the day as ‘Sewa Diwas’ and organised the ceremonial lighting of 1.25 lakh earthen lamps or diyas at Vijay Chowk in the evening, an official said.
The event was attended by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Minister of State and Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra and NDMC Vice Chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal, along with other state BJP functionaries and leaders.
In another event to mark PM Modi’s birthday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated Bharat Vann through the Miyawaki Method at Lodhi Colony Park by planting a sapling along with NDMC Chairman Manoj Kumar Dwivedi and Vice Chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal, said an official.
After organising the ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’, as part of ‘Seva Maah’, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that PM Modi has been rendering continuous service to 140 crore citizens of the country.
“On the occasion of his birthday, all of us Indians can only express our gratitude for his services by extending our blessings to him – blessings that convey our wishes for his long life, good health and eternally energetic life,” she said.
NDMC Chairman Manoj Kumar Dwivedi stated that on the occasion of Seva Diwas, lighting of 1.25 lakh diyas together at Vijay Chowk became a symbol of service, dedication and the spirit of nation-building.
“The glow of these lamps will further strengthen the resolve of service and inspire citizens to move towards building a Viksit Bharat,” he said.
Chahal said in the evening that more than one lakh earthen lamps diyas will be lit from Kartavya Path to Sewa Teerth with the participation of around 5,000 beneficiaries of Central Government Schemes, NDMC employees, students and teachers.
He said the message of ‘Jan Seva Se Desh Seva’ has been associated with PM Modi’s public life. Over the past 25 years, themes of service, dedication and nation-building have featured prominently in his public engagements and programmes.
He said that the objective of the programme is to convey the message of service, dedication, public participation and nation-building through the symbolic lighting of earthen lamps.
Beneficiaries of various welfare schemes, including Ayushman Bharat, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana and PM SVANidhi, participated in the programme. Various messages and patterns representing these schemes were also created through the arrangement of diyas, said Chahal.
At the event in Lodhi Colony, FM Sitharaman said, “Today, as we celebrate the Prime Minister’s birthday as Seva Diwas, we have taken a significant step towards creating a Miyawaki Forest by undertaking plantation at a park in Lodhi Colony, Delhi.”
“With the support and guidance of R. K. Nair, this initiative aims to develop a dense, green urban forest by planting fruit-bearing and shade-giving species suited to the local environment through the Miyawaki method,” she said.
Beyond enhancing the quality and beauty of the neighbourhood, the initiative will contribute to improving Delhi’s urban environment by supporting cleaner air, increasing green cover and strengthening the ecological balance of the area, said the NDMC chairperson.
Speaking on the occasion, NDMC Vice Chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal said that 10,000 native saplings will be planted at ‘Bharat Van’ using the Miyawaki method.
–IANS
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