Governor Acharya Devvrat hosted ‘At Home’ on the occasion of Independence Day at Raj Bhawan today.Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Lady Governor Darshna Devi and wife of the Chief Minister Dr. Sadhna Thakur were also present on this occasion.While felicitating the people on 72th Independence Day, the Governor said that we were indebted to the great sons of the soil who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the Nation and to remember them on the occasion wholeheartedly was a real tribute to them. “We should learn from them the principles of unity and integrity" he said adding that we should inculcate the spirit of Nationalism amongst the coming generations.The Governor said there was need to bring revolution in the mindset of the future generation so that they may develop the sense of patriotism, sacrifice and devotion towards the Country. “Together we have to move ahead with love for each other and all the religions alike", he said.He also stressed the need for adopting natural farming on large scale in the state so that we may get natural and rich food. He appreciated the efforts of the state government for making a budgetary provision of Rs. 25 crore for natural farming under the scheme “Prakritik Krishi, Khushal Kisan” and termed it as a right step towards protection of farm community.
He said that we should make collective efforts to fight against social evils. The people of Himachal were endowed with human values and hence it was called Dev Bhoomi. “We should do that work which should be the reason for inspiration for the country”, said Acharya Devvrat and expressed concern over female foeticide and urged everyone to join the campaign against drug addiction for making Himachal a drug-free state. He said that we have to save the environment and maintain the atmosphere of harmony.The Governor cited few examples of sacrifices made by the people during the pre-independence era, which was hardly talked about as of today. He said that there were few nationalists who silently kept the light of fight for freedom alive and to remember them was a real tribute to the martyrs.Earlier, Mithilesh Shastri and her daughter Shruti Chauhan presented patriotic songs. The Governor and the Chief Minister honoured them on the occasion.Acting Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Justice Sanjay Karol, Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj, Judges of Himachal Pradesh High Court, Leader of Congress Legislative Party Mukesh Agnihotri, MLAs, State BJP President Sat Pal Singh Satti, Chief Secretary Vineet Chawdhry, Director General of Police Dr. S.R. Mardi, GoC-In-C Lt. General Manoj Mukand Narwane, Chief of Staff, Army Lt. General Rajeev Serohi, Vice Chancellors, freedom fighters, senior State Civil, Police and Military officers, prominent citizens of the town and ex-servicemen were present on the occasion among others.