Guwahati, Oct. 2: Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today offered a tête-à-tête over tea with chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal to winners of an essay competition on Mahatma Gandhi to enthuse students to learn more about the Father of the Nation.
Speaking at a function organised by Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhijan on Gandhi Jayanti at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra here today, Sarma asked students who had read Gandhi's autobiography, My Experiments with Truth, to raise their hands.
To Sarma's surprise, only a few out of hundreds of students raised their hands. It prompted the minister to ask officials to organise an essay competition among students on Mahatma Gandhi on November 2 and the top 10 winners will be invited to tea with Sonowal.
Sarma advised the students to learn more about Gandhi ji's life and teachings.
Sonowal and senior officials like commissioner and secretary (secondary education) and RMSA mission director Ramesh Chandra Jain, mission director of Axom Sarba Siksha Abhijan Aruna Rajoria and commissioner and secretary (elementary education) Preetom Saikia attended the function.
Sonowal asked the students to follow the values preached by Gandhi ji while emphasising on maintaining cleanliness.
Earlier, Sonowal and governor Banwarilal Purohit participated in a cleanliness drive at Kamakhya temple organised on Mahatma Gandhi's 148th birth anniversary.
Sonowal reiterated Gandhi ji's mantra "cleanliness is godliness" and stressed the need for individual and community cleanliness.
"We should all work for a clean Assam," said Purohit and called upon the people to follow, "You should not litter and should not allow others to litter."
He said tourism has a big potential in the state and can attract more foreign tourists if it is developed completely.
Culture minister Naba Kumar Doley, East Gauhati MLA Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Howraghat legislator Joy Ram Engleng, Guwahati Municipal Corporation mayor Mrigen Sarania, director-general of police Mukesh Sahay and other senior officials were present.
Special cleanliness drives were also launched at railway stations. At Guwahati railway station, NFR additional general manager Ratan Lal stressed on cleanliness in providing better passenger services. He also inspected the various cleanliness parameters. At Kamakhya station, senior officers, staff and members of Bharat Scouts and Guides took part in a special drive for Swachh Bharat. Pledges were taken to fulfill Gandhi ji's vision of Clean India. The special drive was observed in all the five NFR divisions.
Sonowal today attended a function organised by Kamrup (metro) district administration at Gandhi Mandap here and announced a facelift for the Mandap, Kamakhya and Umananda temples.
The chief minister said a viewpoint will be constructed at the Mandap from where a visitor can get a bird's eye view of the city. Freedom fighters were also felicitated.
In Kokrajhar, the All Bodo Students' Union (Absu) today undertook a cycle rally with the message of peace, harmony, and a violence-free society to observe Gandhi Jayanti.
Over 1,000 activists participated in the rally which was flagged off by Kokrajhar superintendent of police Shyamal Prasad Saikia. Cyclists started from Raasmela field in Kokrajhar town and pedalled through Dotma, Mukuldang-Bauraguri to Gossaigaon.
Absu president Pramod Boro stressed the need for an arms-free society and said violence and armed struggle have been a major problem affecting the BTAD and other northeastern states. "The students and youths have been the worst-sufferers," he added.
In Jorhat, the week-long Bapu Saptah celebrations, organised by the Titabar sub-divisional administration to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, ended today.
In Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu appealed to the people to keep the city clean and plastic-free. "I request the business community and citizens to shun using plastics and help the government keep the environment clean," he said while giving a clarion call for Clean Arunachal, Green Arunachal.
