Shimla:
While presiding over the State level function held at Peterhof, Shimla on the occasion of 115th birth anniversary of founder and first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar, Chief Minister termed Dr. Parmar a selfless, inspiring and tireless crusade whose contributions in formation of the State and later attaining proper shape and status would be remembered for years to come.
Chief Minister said that the dream of Dr Y. S. Parmar was to see the hill men gain a personality of their own. He said that by the virtue of his deeds Dr. Parmar has immortalized himself. He said that it was the commitment and dedication of Dr Parmar that despite all odds, Himachal Pradesh got a separate identity. He said that vision of Dr. Parmar was clear and the arduous task to realize this vision continued till the attainment of Statehood in 1971. It was Dr. Parmar’s forceful advocacy, which led to the achievement of statehood to Himachal Pradesh, he added.
Jai Ram Thakur said that Dr. Parmar was the first person who took pride in calling himself a ‘Pahari’ and it was only after him that the Himachalis shook off all inhibitions and held their heads high with a sense of belonging to the soil. He said that Dr Parmar was a great enthusiast of the Pahari culture and used to wear the Pahari dress up and propagated Pahari architecture. He said that Dr. Parmar was a real ambassador of the rich culture of the State.
Chief Minister said that contributions of Dr. Y.S. Parmar for the development of the State, especially in the fields of road construction, horticulture and agriculture had been most significant. He said that it was due to farsightedness and able leadership of Dr Parmar that Himachal had become an ideal for hill areas development in the country. Dr Parmar raised his voice against applying all India yard-sticks to the hill areas in the matter of development and planning and convinced the Union Government against the practice of imposing plains-oriented schemes, he added.
Jai Ram Thakur said that today Himachal Pradesh has become a role model for several states of the country in fields such as education, hydel generation, health, social services sectors etc. He said that the State Government was planning to organize 51 events to mark the Golden jubilee of the Statehood to have a glimpse of the glorious journey of 50 years of the State, but all this was not possible due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He said that we all should draw inspiration from the lives and work of Dr Parmar as this would be the biggest tribute to this great son of the soil.
Chief Minister also visited the Photo Exhibition based on the life of Dr Parmar and evinced keen interest in it. He also honoured the family members of Dr Parmar on the occasion.
Speaker State Vidhan Sabha Vipin Singh Parmar said that every citizen of the State was grateful to the efforts of the Dr Y.S. Parmar that today they have separate identity and opportunity to progress in their respective fields. He said that the contributions of each and every Chief Minister of the State have been immense towards the development of the State. He said that the contributions made by all these Chief Ministers were the source of inspiration to one and all. He said that Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur was striving hard to achieve the targets and reach the milestones set by all these former Chief Ministers. He said that efforts would also be made to further expand the Dr Parmar Museum in the Vidhan Sabha Complex.
Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri said that it was due to the efforts of Dr Y.S. Parmar that Himachal Pradesh was able to become the 18th State of the Indian Union. He said that it was due to the toil and hard work of Dr Parmar that people of the State got an opportunity to decide their own fate. He said that Dr Parmar not only envisioned a separate State of Himachal, but also ensured that the interests of the State remain protected and intact. He also thanked the Chief Minister for organizing this event in a befitting manner.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Bhardwaj said that contributions of Dr Y.S. Parmar in getting a special identity to this State and preparing the road map of development thereafter were immense. He said that Dr Parmar was a common man’s leader and always fought for their welfare and development. He said that Dr Parmar was against social vices practiced in few parts of the State. He also remembered the contribution of Dr Parmar in promoting cultivation of apple in the State, which had transformed the economy of the people.
A documentary on the life of Dr Parmar produced by the Information and Public Relations Department was also screened on the occasion. Choodeshwar Kala Manch also made a colourful and lively cultural presentation on the occasion.
Son of the former Chief Minister Kush Parmar, Jal Shakti Minister Mahender Singh Thakur, Power Minister Sukh Ram Chaudhary, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rajinder Garg, Deputy Speaker Vidhan Sabha Hansraj, Chief Whip Bikram Jaryal, Deputy Chief Whip Kamlesh Kumari, MLAs, Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of various Boards and Corporations, Mayor Shimla Municipal Corporation Satya Kaundal, Secretary GAD Devesh Kumar, Director Information and Public Relations Harbans Singh Brascon and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Comments are closed.