People of MP have made invaluable contributions to Indian culture: Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said that the people of Madhya Pradesh have made invaluable contributions to Indian culture and developmental journey.

On the one hand, Madhya Pradesh has unique natural beauty and on the other, it has a very rich spiritual and cultural heritage.

Murmu attended the civic reception hosted in her honour by the Government of Madhya Pradesh at Raj Bhavan Bhopal on Tuesday evening, said a press release by President's Secretariat.

On the occasion, she, virtually, laid the foundation stones for the 'Maximum Micro-biological Containment Laboratory' of DRDO at Gwalior and Ratapani-Itarsi road project of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, added the press release.

Addressing the gathering, the President said," the people of Madhya Pradesh have made invaluable contributions to Indian culture and developmental journey. On the one hand, Madhya Pradesh has unique natural beauty and on the other, it has a very rich spiritual and cultural heritage. From the great poet Kalidas and Sangeet Samrat Tansen to Lata Mangeshkar many talents were born on this land."

The former President of India, Shanker Dayal Sharma was the son of this soil. The birthplace of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar is Mhow. Former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's brilliant personality and glorious political life initially developed in Madhya Pradesh itself.

The President said that there are many attractive historical places in Madhya Pradesh. The Jyotirlingas of Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar, the Simhastha Kumbh of Ujjain, the origin of Narmada and temple of the first Jain Tirthankar Rishabhdev in Amarkantak, the exile place of Lord Shri Rama in Chitrakoot, underline the spiritual importance of Madhya Pradesh.

The President noted that Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country in terms of area. There are many national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves in the state. She said that wildlife enthusiasts are very excited about the recent relocation of cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno National Park. She wished for the success of a campaign to rehabilitate the extinct cheetahs in the country.

The President noted that Indore city got the award for the cleanest city for the 6th time in a row and Madhya Pradesh won the award for the cleanest state in the 'Swachh Survekshan 2022'. Moreover, in the ranking of 100 cleanest cities with more than one lakh population, 30 cities are in Madhya Pradesh. She said that this success is an effective example of awareness and active public participation. She appreciated the people of Madhya Pradesh for strengthening the culture of cleanliness in the state. She said that their efforts for cleanliness are exemplary for all.

The President said that Madhya Pradesh has established new dimensions of inclusive development. The state has made impressive achievements on many parameters of development. The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Madhya Pradesh has increased by almost three and a half times in the last decade. It ranks among the leading states in the production of food grains.

The agricultural growth rate has increased by an average of 20 per cent in the last four years. She appreciated the Government of Madhya Pradesh for the overall development of the state and expressed confidence that the journey of the development of Madhya Pradesh would move forward at a faster pace and that the benefits of that development would reach all sections of the people of the state.