Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today inaugurated the week long International fame Shivratri Fair at Mandi. He led the Shivratri procession from the Shrine of presiding deity Raj Madhav Rao to the venue of the celebration Paddal ground after paying obeisance to the Presiding deity. The procession consisted hundreds of local deities decorated in palanquins and accompanied by their instrumentalist, Band Squads, devotees, contingents of Himachal Police, Home Guards etc.He was accompanied by Shri Kaul Singh Thakur, Health Minister, Shri Prakash Chaudhary, Excise and Taxation Minister, Shri Anil Sharma, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Minister, Shri Sohan Lal Thakur, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Shri Harinder Sen, Chairman, APMC, Mandi, Smt. Sushma Shonkhla, Chairman, Nagar Parishad, Mandi, Shri Tek Chand Dogra, Ex-CPS, Shri Ram Singh, Ex-MLA, Shri Puran Chand Thakur, District Congress President, Shri Rajender Mohan, President, District Congress SC Cell, Shri T.G Negi, Advisor to the Chief Minister, Shri Amit Pal Singh, OSD to the Chief Minister, Shri Devesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner–cum-Chairman, Shivratri Fair Organizing Committee, and other prominent persons of the area. Addressing the mammoth gathering assembled to witness the inaugural ceremony at Paddal ground, Shri Virbhadra Singh greeted the people of the State, especially people of district Mandi, on the Shivratri Festival and wished them a joyous celebration. He also welcomed the participating deities to the fair which had been instrumental in giving devotional feel to the people participating.
Virbhadra Singh announced a hike of 10 percent in the Nazarana (honorariums) of the local deities and the bajantris, the traditional folk musicians. He also announced that a 'Sanskriti Bhawan' would be constructed at Mandi to facilitate the people accompanying the deities.The Chief Minister said that various fairs and festivals celebrated throughout the State represented our centuries old culture and traditions. The people of the State had unique culture and traditions and people deeply believe in the deity culture. He underlined the need to maintain our culture and traditions as they form the basis of our identity.He said that Himachal Pradesh had made tremendous progress since its formation and today roads, health, education, electricity and drinking water facilities were available to all villages. He said that there was no limit for development as it was a continuous process and it was the endeavour of the State government to take Himachal Pradesh on new heights of development and ensure welfare of the all sections of the society.Virbhadra Singh said that in its budget for 2014-15 financial year, the State government had made every effort to benefit to every person and further consolidate the development of the State. He said that besides enhancing social security pension, the financial assistance under various welfare schemes had been enhanced. The government had taken a decision to provide land to the houseless persons of the urban and rural areas.
The government was providing subsidized ration to each ration card holder of the State under Rajiv Gandhi Ann Yojana and 35 kgs of food grains were being made available to all the BPL families in the State.He said that many milestones of development had been established in the Mandi district and it was due to the efforts of Congress Governments in the State that various prestigious institutes were coming up in this district. He said that ESI Medical College and Hospital being set up in Mandi would cater to the need of quality health services of the people of this Zone.The Chief Minister also inaugurated the exhibitions put up by various departments of the State, Public Sector Undertakings, Government of India, Self-Help Groups and commercial organisations etc.Later, he also inaugurated the Saras Mela being organized at Seri Manch in which various handicraft and handloom items had been displayed by traders from different States.