Anand to host I-Day celebrations

Keeping alive its attempts to decentralise Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations, the Narendra Modi government has decided to celebrate the 58th Independence Day of the country at Anand in central Gujarat.

The official Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations are being held outside the state capital Gandhinagar ever since Modi took over as chief minister in December 2002.

A six-day programme, starting from August 10, has been lined up, where various villages in the district will witness several functions. The carnival will begin from August 10 and on the evening of August 15 there will be a children's film festival.

The first event to be attended by Modi is the inaugural function of E-library and the foundation ceremony for the building for the Soil Health Card (SHC) project sponsored by the state government at the Gujarat Agriculture University campus.

Modi will also interact with university students. The Sardar Patel University will host the first Community Radio Center in the state in Vallabh Vidhyanagar, which is set up at a cost of Rs 35 lakh.

The day will end with a march of over 1,000 youth from Karamsad village were Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born, and cultural programmes at the police pared ground.

The Independence Day celebrations will start with a procession of students in Anand and surrounding villages. Modi, on the Anand Police Parade Ground, will do the flag-hosting in the presence of Gujarat governor Navalkishore Sharma.

He will also honour reputed personalities and meet freedom fighters. Other programmes include several functions to be inaugurated by state ministers Amit Shah, Anil Patel, I K Jadeja, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Ashok Bhatt, Narottam Patel and Kaushik Patel.

These programmes will be conducted at various villages related to rural infrastructure development like panchayat building, drinking water facility, community hall, computer center and government quarters along with the distribution of 1000 tool kits for technicians.

The Independence Day carnival this year will witness the opening of projects worth about Rs 5 crore.

The Gujarat Agriculture University is geared up to host two functions at its campus as part of the celebrations.