PM offers soil into Amrit Kalash

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday offered soil into the Amrit Kalash at the Kartavya Path here during an event marking the culmination of the 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' campaign. The Amrit Kalash contains soil brought from different parts of the country. Modi offered soil into the Amrit Kalash and then applied a 'tilak' on his forehead with the 'mitti'.

Union ministers Amit Shah, G Kishan Reddy, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Anurag Thakur and Meenakshi Lekhi were also present at the event. Later, Modi and other leaders, along with the spectators, also took the ‘Panch Pran’ pledge. From Srinagar to Tirunelveli and from Sikkim to Surat, colours and soils of India merged on the Kartavya Path on Monday as people hailing from various parts of the country, dressed in traditional fineries, converged at the majestic boulevard to celebrate the ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ campaign. Bearing Amrit Kalash with soil collected from houses, institutional grounds, and public places, hundreds of yatris, drawn from small to large blocks, came together and celebrated the cultural vibrancy of India while showcasing the spirit of unity in diversity.

Amrit Kalash Yatris from thousands of blocks of over 700 districts were present among the spectators during the event hosted at Vijay Chowk and Kartavya Path. This event also witnessed the launch of an autonomous body -- Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) -- which will help set the focus of the government on youth-led development and make the youths “active drivers” of development. “The aim of this autonomous body is to inspire youth to become community change agents and nation builders allowing them to act as the ‘Yuva Setu’ between the government and citizens,” the Union culture ministry earlier said.

It will also mark the culmination of the two-year-long campaign ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, which began on March 12, 2021, to celebrate 75 years of India’s Independence. ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ has since witnessed more than two lakh programmes organised throughout the country with enthusiastic public participation, it said. Officials earlier said that the ‘Amrit Vatika’, which would come up along the Kartavya Path, would span about 12,000 square metres and would be completed in four to six months.