PM will chair committee formed to mark 75-years of freedom
On Friday, the government issued a gazette notification announcing the formation of a high-level committee to commemorate 75 years of India's independence on August 15, 2022. The panel will be headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has 259 members from different backgrounds like sports, arts, and politics. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, superstar Rajinikanth, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan are members of the committee.
Government will celebrate India's independence for 75 weeks
The government has planned to celebrate 75 years of the nation's freedom (India got its independence on August 15, 1947) as Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav. As per plans, the celebrations will start 75 weeks before the date, i.e., on March 12, 2021. The day holds significance as it marks the 91st anniversary of Salt Satyagraha, launched by the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi.
PM Modi will launch the 'mahotsav' in Gujarat
The mahotsav will be launched by PM Modi in Gujarat while the first meeting of the committee will take place on March 8. The Union Ministry of Culture revealed that the panel will concern itself with celebrations at both national and international levels. Earlier, a National Implementation Committee, to be headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, was also formed for the special celebrations.
Advani, Azad, Stalin, Yechury given a seat on the table
Besides Sonia Gandhi, other Opposition leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav, MK Stalin, and Sitaram Yechury are also part of the panel. Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani has also been included. Sportspersons MS Dhoni, Prakash Padukone, PV Sindhu, and Abhinav Bindra, as well as, spiritual personality Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev along with yoga guru Swami Ramdev have been named as members.
Dilip Kumar, Ratan Tata, AR Rahman also part of panel
A number of BJP ministers, like Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari, Narendra Singh Tomar, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajnath Singh, and Smriti Irani are members of the panel and so are Chief Ministers of all states, Governors, and Lieutenant-Governors. From the field of Arts, thespian Dilip Kumar, musical maestro AR Rahman, Bachchan, and Rajinikanth have been included. Industrialist Ratan Tata is also a member.
SA Bobde, Bipin Rawat, Pratibha Patil among the 259 members
Moreover, the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat as well as Chiefs of all sections of the armed forces are members of the committee. Former President Pratibha Patil, Chief Justice SA Bobde, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla are also on the panel. The Member-Secretary of this high-profile panel is Culture Secretary Raghvendra Singh. His term started with immediate effect.
