Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday announced Rs. 50 lakhs for the upkeep and maintenance of the memorial of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh at ancestral village of Khatkar Kalan, where he paid floral tributes to the great martyr on his 113th birth anniversary at his ancestral village.
Remembering the courage of Bhagat Singh and other martyrs during the Indian freedom struggle, the Chief Minister exhorted the youth to emulate the high ideals of these revolutionaries.
Captain Amarinder recalled his visit to the cellular jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where scores of revolutionaries lived through horrifying hardships in their fight to free India from the shackles of British imperialism.
The Chief Minister was joined by AICC General Secretary and Punjab Affairs incharge Harish Rawat, who also paid rich tributes to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, along with PPCC president Sunil Jakhar and MP Preneet Kaur at the `samadhi sthal’.
Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, while paying homage to Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, called upon the people to follow in his footsteps of the son of the soil, and take inspiration from his ideals.
Prominent among others who were present on the occasion included Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP Singh, Cabinet Ministers Charanjit Singh Channi, OP Soni, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Sadhu Singh Dharmsot, Aruna Chaudhary, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Rana Gurjit Singh and Sunder Sham Arora. Besides, Members of Parliament including Preneet Kaur, Jasbir Singh Dimpa, Chaudhary Santokh Singh, Gurjit Singh Aujala, Dr Amar Singh and Mohd Sadeeq. MLAs Kuljit Singh Nagra, Darshan Singh Brar, Surinder Dawar, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Dr Raj Kumar Verka, Dr Raj Kumar Chabewal, Surjit Singh Dhiman, Nathu Ram, Dalvir Singh Goldy, Amrik Singh Dhillon, Dr Harjot Kamal, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Gurpreet Singh GP, Harpartap Singh Ajnala, Harminder Singh Gill, Pargat Singh, Parminder Singh Pinki, Kulbir Singh Zira, Angad Singh Saini, Balwinder Singh Laddi, Santokh Singh Bhalaipur, Indu Bala, Sunil Dutti, Rajinder Beri, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Fatehjung Singh Bajwa, Satkar Kaur, Chaudhary Surinder Singh, Darshan Lal Mangupur, Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia, Barindermeet Singh Pahra, Lakhvir Singh Lakha, Avtar Singh Henry, Sushil Kumar Rinku, Sukhpal Singh Bhullar, Kuldeep Singh Vaid, Sanjeev Talwar, Dr Dharmvir Agnihotri, Joginder Lal, Sukhjit Singh Lohgarh, Devinder Singh Ghubaya and Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal. Chairman Punjab Mandi Board Lal Singh and PPCC Secretary Captain Sandeep Singh Sandhu were also present on the occasion.