Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has issued a series of directives aimed at making the maiden visit under his ambitious ‘Connect with Your Roots’ (CYR) a success.The first batch of 14 youngsters of Punjab origin from the United Kingdom will visit the state from August 7 to 16. The group consists of eight boys and six girls, aged between 16 and 22 years.The youngsters would be visiting their ancestral places in the districts of Jalandhar, Patiala, Ludhiana, SBS Nagar, Faridkot and Mohali. They will be meeting members of the families, friends, and relatives of their parents/grandparents, thus enabling them to connect with their ancestral roots. A highlight of their programme will be the state-level Independence Day celebrations, scheduled to be presided over by the Chief Minister in Ludhiana. Captain Amarinder Singh will personally interact with the youngsters on the occasion, according to an official spokesperson.
The Chief Minister has directed the NRI Affairs Department to ensure proper boarding and lodging arrangements, besides transportation facilities, for the visitors’ sightseeing and other programmes. He has also asked the Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department to closely liaise with the NRIs Affairs department to ensure the group’s hassle-free visit to various places of cultural and historic importance.Among the places that the youngsters are scheduled to visit are Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), Durgiana Mandir and Ram Tirath, Jallianwala Bagh, War Memorial, Attari-Wagah Border and Gobindgarh Fort in Amritsar. Other inclusions in the itinerary are the Punjab Civil Secretariat, Punjab Vidhan Sabha and Rock Garden in Chandigarh; Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, National Institute of Sports and Punjabi University in Patiala, besides the Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Memorial at Khatkar Kalan in SBS Nagar District.At Sri Anandpur Sahib, the group would pay obeisance at historic Gurdwara Takhat Sri Keshgarh Sahib and visit Khalsa Heritage Complex. They will visit Sri Guru Ravidass Memorial at Khuralgarh in Hoshiarpur, famous for its handicrafts, besides the industrial hub at Jalandhar and the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana.It may be recalled that CYR was launched by the Chief Minister from London (UK) in September, 2017. The two-week programme provides a platform to youth of Indian origin, who have never visited the country, to go back to their ancestral roots.