Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday participated in the culmination of the Amrit Kalash Yatra of the Meri Maati Mera Desh campaign and said Kartavya Path was witnessing a Mahayagya on the occasion of Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary.
The programme also marked the closing ceremony of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. During the Kartavya Path programme, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Amrit Vatika and Amrit Mahotsav Memorial and launched ‘Mera Yuva Bharat’ – the MY Bharat platform for youth of the country.
The Prime Minister presented Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Awards to the top three performing States or Union Territories as well as to Ministries or Departments.
The top three performing States or Union territories are Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and Haryana, while the top three performing ministries are Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Railways, sharing the award with the Ministry of Education.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav launch on 12th March, 2021 was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi Yatra and it was concluding on 31st October 2023, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
Drawing an analogy to the Dandi March Yatra which saw the participation of every Indian, the Prime Minister drew attention to the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav creating a new record of people’s participation.
“Dandi March reignited the flame of independence while Amrit Kaal is turning out to be the resolution of the 75-year-old journey of India’s development journey,” Modi emphasized.
He said the two-year celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav are coming to a conclusion with the ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ Abhiyan.
He noted the foundation stone laying of the Smarak will remind future generations of today’s historic organization. He said “as we bid goodbye to a grand celebration, we are initiating a new resolution with MY Bharat. The MY Bharat organization is going to play a big role in nation-building in the 21st century,” he said.
Pointing to the collective strength of Indian youth, the Prime Minister said “Meri Mati Mera Desh Abhiyan is a live example of how the youth of India can organize and achieve every goal.”
PM Modi highlighted the countless youth participation from every nook and corner of the country and said that 8500 Amrit Kalash have reached the Kartavya Path from all over the country and crores have Indians have taken Panch Pran pledge and have uploaded selfies on the campaign website.
Explaining why soil was used as an element for the culmination of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Prime Minister cited the words of a poet and said that it is the soil of the land where civilizations have flourished, humans have progressed and it holds the imprint of eons.
“India’s soil has consciousness. It has a life form that has prevented the downfall of civilization,” Modi said, noting how a multitude of civilizations have collapsed while India still stands strong.
“The soil of India creates an affinity for the soul towards spirituality,” he said as he highlighted the numerous sagas of India’s valor and touched upon the contributions of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
Highlighting how every citizen is deeply rooted to the soil of the motherland, the Prime Minister said, “What is life if it is not repaying the debts of the soil of India.” He underlined that soil from the thousands of ‘Amrit Kalash’ that have arrived in Delhi will remind everyone of the sentiment of Kartavya or duty and inspire each one to accomplish the resolve of a Viksit Bharat. He urged everyone to contribute towards nation-building.
The Prime Minister said that the most positive impact of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM), running for about 1000 days. has been on the young generation of India.
Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur and Union Minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy were present on the occasion.