PM Modi at Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad. (Express Photo: Javed Raja)
Gandhi Jayanti 2019 Live Updates: Rural India and its villages have declared themselves ‘open defecation free’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary Wednesday.
People were mobilised for ‘satyagarah’ on Mahatma Gandhi’s call, today they did the same for swachhagrah, he said in Ahmedabad. Modi arrived in the city to visit the Sabarmati Ashram. He visited Rajghat Tuesday morning to pay tribute to the Father of the Nation at his memorial. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu were also present there.
The Congress marked the day by undertaking padyatras — walking to the tunes of “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram…” across the country. The ‘Gandhi Sandesh Yatra’ began from the Delhi Congress office Rajiv Bhavan at Deendayal Upadhyay Marg headed to Rajghat, about three kilometres away, with enthusiastic party workers waving flags and chanting the slogan ‘Mahatma Gandhi Amar Rahein’.
Numerous events were organised by various government departments, ministries and voluntary organisations to celebrate life and legacy of Gandhi, who besides leading the freedom struggle also inspired millions of people across the globe, including leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr and the Dalai Lama. School, colleges and institutes across the country are organising special events today and through the week to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma.
PM Modi in Gujarat: Sanitation, conservation of environment and animals, all these things were dear to Gandhi ji. Plastic is a major threat to all of them. So, we have to achieve the goal to eradicate 'single-use plastic' from the country by the year 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad: Today whole world is appreciating and awarding us. Providing toilets to more than 60 crore people in 60 months, building more than 11 crore toilets, the whole world is amazed by this.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 'Swachh Bharat Diwas' programme in Ahmedabad: Today rural India and its villages have declared themselves 'open defecation free'.
PM's message in visitor's book at Sabarmati Ashram: "I am satisfied that on the occasion of Gandhi At 150, we're witnessing the fulfillment of his dream of 'Swachh Bharat'. I feel lucky that on this occasion when India has successfully stopped open defecation I'm here at the ashram."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative Rs 150 coin, on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived for the 'Swachh Bharat Diwas' programme at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also present.
After visiting the Sabarmati Ashram, Prime Minister Modi visited the Sabarmati Riverfront.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on Wednesday evening and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani was also present at the ashram.
We saw a glimpse of the respect India has at the world stage during the Howdy, Modi programme in Houston. At that programme, Republicans and Democrats spoke. Their coming was very special: PM Modi in Ahmedabad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad on occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary. "Take any problem the world faces, the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi offer solutions to those challenges."
PM Modi in Ahmedabad: "India’s stature is rising at the world stage. Respect for India is increasing all over. One can experience the change. The world can see that India is at the forefront of several positive changes taking place at the world stage."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ahmedabad. He will visit the Sabarmati Ashram today, on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary
Addressing Congress workers on Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary, party leader Digvijaya Singh said, "The ideology that killed Mahatma Gandhi is telling its workers to do padyatra in every panchayat for a month. I would like to ask them what will they do there and how will they project Gandhi ji? Will you put across Gandhi's side or Godse's side?"
Campaigns against single-use plastic and peace marches on Wednesday marked the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and called upon people to follow the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi.
"Humble tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th Birth Anniversary. May his commitment to truth, non-violence & compassion for all continue to guide us. Let us all come together & renew our commitment to Gandhiji's pledge to wipe every tear from every eye," Amarinder said in his tweet.
Khattar, who took part in a swachhta campaign in Badshahpur, Gurgaon, said, "We should all take a pledge to follow footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi."
Inter faith prayer meetings were organised today in different cities of South Africa on Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi: "Mahatma Gandhi pioneered successive non-violent movements that changed history. 150 years since his birth, Gandhi’s philosophy is at the core of our work at the UN. May his courage & conviction continue to inspire us on Wednesday’s International Day of Non-Violence & every day."
A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled today within the premises of Embassy of India in Kathmandu by Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri.
At the Varkala ashram, Gandhi struck a historic conversation with Sree Narayana Guru, the Ezhava-born social reformer who grew to become one of Kerala’s most influential intellectual minds. Historian Ramachandra Guha writes in his book ‘Gandhi: The Years that Changed the World’ that Gandhi had come away greatly impressed with Guru’s ideas, even though they had different theological positions.
The efforts of Gandhi, Periyar and thousands of others resulted in the Travancore administration climbing down from their earlier rigid positions and opening three of the four temple roads to people of the lower castes in 1925. But it was not until the Temple Entry Act in November, 1936, over a decade after the Vaikom agitation, that the doors of the temple and all the others in Travancore were thrown open to people of all castes by the state’s ruling family.
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Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday unveiled a bronze bust of Mahatma Gandhi at his official residence 'Temple Trees' here as he paid floral tribute to the Indian leader on his 150th birth anniversary.
The bronze bust sculpted by the Padma Bhushan awardee Ram Vanji Suatr was unveiled at the Temple Trees in the presence of Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe unveiled a Gandhi bust on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary at Temple Tree, the Indian embassy said.
Sri Lanka also issued two commemorative stamps on the occasion. President Maithripala Sirisena also paid floral tributes to Gandhi.
"To pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary, a special programme was held at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo," a statement issued by the Indian mission said.