Minister for Industries and Commerce, Chander Parkash Ganga today visited shrine of Baba Sidh Goria at Swankha to pay obeisance as the annual Baba Sidh Goria Mela.Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that the shrines connect us with our heritage and we must preserve our religious, social and cultural identity.The Minister applauded the efforts of the district administration for providing all facilities to the devotees who have come to pay obeisance at the shrine.Every year, devotees from other parts of country throng here in large numbers to pay obeisance at the shrine and take a bath in holy ‘Sarovar’ which is considered as pious and is believed to have curative properties.On the occasion, the Minister also inaugurated an exhibition by different Government departments like Agriculture, Social Welfare, Industries, Apiculture, Horticulture, Handloom, Tourism, Rural Development, Education and other allied units who have installed their stalls at the venue to make people aware about the government schemes.
The Minister inspected the stalls and appreciated the efforts of the departments for educating the people about their welfare and development programmes. “Through such exhibitions, people especially youth get adequate information about self employment and other schemes envisaging their socioeconomic empowerment”, he said.The Minister also appreciated J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages for presenting informative cultural events.MLA, Devinder Kumar Manyal along with DDC Samba Sheetal Nanda, SSP Samba, ADC Samba, Tehsildar Ramgarh besides other district officers were present on the occasion.Earlier, the Minister inaugurated langer for the pilgrims of the Baba AmarnathJi shrine at Bari Brahmana.