Indebted nation remembers Rajiv on 63rd birth anniversary

New Delhi, Aug 20 (UNI) The nation today paid homage to former prime minister Rajeev Gandhi on his 63rd birth anniversary.

The day was also observed nationwide as Akshay Urja Divas and Sadbhawana Divas.

President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and several Cabinet ministers led the nation in paying tribute to the late prime minister.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid floral tributes to Rajiv Gandhi in the Central Hall of Parliament.

Among others who paid homage to the departed leader were Sonia Gandhi, Leader of House in Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee, Leader of Opposition LK Advani, Sharad Pawar, and Shivraj Patil.

A booklet containing the profile of Rajiv Gandhi was brought on the occasion by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, both in Hindi and English.

The occasion was marked by unveiling of a number of schemes, rallies and blood donation camps, marathons, besides a host of other activities across the nation.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, along with her son and MP Rahul Gandhi, daughter Priyanka, son-in-law Robert Vadra and two grandchildren were among the first to reach 'Vir Bhoomi', the former Prime Minister's memorial in the capital.

In Allahabad, the day was celebrated at Rajiv Gandhi's ancestral home 'Anand Bhawan' with great enthusiasm.

A large number of Congress workers reached historic Anand Bhawan and garlanded the former prime minister's portrait and paid their tributes.

The students of DAV inter college took out 'prabhat pheries' and observed the day as'' Rajiv Gandhi akshay urja diwas''.

To mark the day various other programmes including essay, competition, debate and other programmes were also organised by various organisations.

In Mumbai, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh offered floral tributes to the late leader at Cooperage grounds, where a life-size statue has been installed.

Homage was paid to Rajiv by party office bearers and workers at the state unit office 'Tilak Bhavan'.

To mark the day Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced the formulation of Renewable Energy Policy to encourage generation of power from non-conventional sources of energy.

He was speaking at a function at Panchkula organised by the Haryana Renewable Energy Department to celebrate the Rajiv Gandhi Akshay Urja Diwas.

Mr Hooda also honoured those panchayats of Haryana which have done excellent work for the promotion of renewable energy programmes.

Rallies were taken out at various places in Madhya Pradesh and government employees took an oath for maintaining communal harmony.

In the state capital, the oath was administered by state Finance Minister Raghavji to Mantralaya employees in the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Park.

A National Harmony Fortnight will be organised until September 3 in the state.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy led the state in paying tributes to former the Prime Minister by participating in various programmes in the state.

He inaugurated a free health camp and blood donation camp at the party headquarters, organised by the Doctor's cell of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee.

To mark the late leader's contributions towards nation-building a rally was organised by the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency(TREDA) in Tripura in which school students also participated.

The Congress had also arranged a blood donation camp, and distribution of clothes, fruits and sweets among the poor and organised 'daridra narayan seva' in various parts of the state.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh led the state in paying tributes to former prime minister by offering flowers at his statue at Sadbhawana Chowk and hailing him as a ''dynamic and visionary leader.'' The occasion was marked by singing of devotional songs, prabhat pheries (morning rallies) and blood donation camps organised by different organisations all over the State.

Blood donation camps, planting of saplings, and garlanding of the statue marked the celebrations in Puducherry.

Chief Minister N Rangasamy, his Cabinet colleagues, Legislators and senior officals of the territorial administration garlanded the Rajiv Gandhi statue at Ellapillaichavady.

UNI