Over 50,000 youths sing Vande Mataram in Haryana

More than 50,000 students from 400 schools today sang Vande Mataram, the national song of India, during an event held here.
Speaking in the occasion, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said this is for the first time in the history of the state when 51,000 students sang Vande Mataram in one voice at a programme.
The 'Voice of Unity' programme, organised by Hindu Spiritual and Service Foundation in Tau Devi Lal Stadium, was a preface to the four-day Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair to be held from February 2 to 5 in Leisure Valley ground.
Khattar, while addressing the students and senior district administration officials, said before this event, about 18,000 students had chanted verses from Gita in the International Gita Jayanti Festival organised in Kurukshetra.

Khattar also launched a Rs 102-crore project for up-gradation and reconstruction of 31 roads in Municipal Corporation area and HUDA sectors near sector 40 in Gurgaon.
These works would be started after February 15 and completed before beginning of monsoon to help smoothen the traffic in the city, he said.

He asked to inculcate feeling of unity and patriotism among all countrymen and urged youths to take an oath that they will always keep national interest in the fore front. He administered a pledge in this regard to the participants.
Khattar said, "We Indians worship the nature, the rivers, animals and even consider the earth our motherland. We talk of universality and think of universal well being of mankind. We take the whole world as one family (Vasudhev Kutumbkam)".

He said now other countries have started giving recognition to Indian ideology which preaches conservation of natural resources. India has capability to lead the world.
Referring to those working to divide the society on one ground or the other, Khattar said the 2.50 crore population of Haryana was considered as a family, however, some political persons wanted to divide the state for their vote bank and vested interests.
Nevertheless, they won't succeed in their designs when the people would follow the principle of 'Haryana Ek-Haryanvi Ek', he said.
Khattar announced to give Rs 11 lakh to the event's organisers and a holiday on the occasion of Basant Panchami on February 1 to all the participating schools.