Sports minister launches ‘Sardar@150 Unity March’ in Sikkim

GANGTOK, (IPR): Minister for Education, Sports and Youth Affairs, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Raju Basnett officially launched the nationwide ‘Sardar@150 Unity March’ at Tashiling Secretariat, Gangtok today.

The historic nationwide campaign is dedicated to the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who strove to unite a fragmented India after independence. The Unity March seeks to uphold his ideals of ‘Ek Bharat’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

The campaign, which began on October 6 is being conducted in two phases.

Phase I includes district-level Padyatras from October 31 to November 25, featuring essay competitions, seminars and pledges for a drug-free India and “Proudly Swadeshi” movements.

Phase II will feature a national Padyatra in Maharashtra from November 26 to December 6, comprising a walk from Sardar Patel’s birthplace, Karamsad, Gujarat, to the Statue of Unity, Kevadia, with daily Sardar Gatha storytelling sessions and Viksit Bharat exhibitions.

A total of 12 youth representatives from Sikkim, two from each of the six districts, will join 138 youth participants from across India in the national Padyatra from Karamsad to Kevadia.

Addressing the press conference, minister Raju Basnett urged the youth, government officials and the general public to actively participate in the ‘Sardar@150 Unity March’ to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He also called upon public representatives to encourage wider participation in this nationwide initiative.

Mangal Jakhar, deputy director, MyBharat, Gangtok, outlined the objectives of the campaign, emphasizing the need to instil the spirit of unity exemplified by Sardar Patel. He also shared details of the programme and encouraged youth to register for participation through the digital portal (https://mybharat.gov.in/pages/unity_march).

The event was attended by Yangchen D Tamang, secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs department; Lalita Chettri, joint director-cum-State nodal officer, NSS Sikkim; S.B. Subba, deputy director, Sikkim Youth Development Board, and officials from Sports and Youth Affairs department.