Our Correspondent
Imphal, Aug. 18 (EMN): Sadbhavana Diwas was observed in Manipur on Thursday at the 1st Battalion Manipur Rifles hall with Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Power, Forest and Environment Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh as chief guest and president.
Sadbhavana Diwas, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Late Rajiv Gandhi, is observed every year on August 20.
However, this year, the Diwas was observed on Aug. 18 as August 20 falls on Saturday which is a holiday for government offices.
The theme of Sadbhavana is to promote national integration and communal harmony among the people of all religions, languages and regions. The idea behind observance is to eschew violence and to promote goodwill among the people.
Speaking on the occasion, Biren Singh maintained that the motto of the present government is to protect the lives and properties of the public and as such the government would always work for the welfare of its people irrespective of differences among different communities residing in the state.
Stating the objectives of observing Sadbhavana Diwas, the chief minister expressed that observation of the same is very important for a country like India which is resided by different communities.
Mentioning that the state’s achievements in different sectors was due to prevalence of peace and support of the people, he expressed happiness that the public had begun to actively participate in the development works of the government.
Thongam Biswajit stated that the state government under the leadership of Biren Singh have always worked towards bringing equal development in both hill and valley areas through various initiatives.
During the observation, the Chief Minister led the other dignitaries and officials in taking the solemn pledge to work for the emotional oneness and harmony of all the people of India regardless of caste, region, religion or language. The pledge further read to resolve all differences through dialogue and constitutional means without resorting to violence.