The Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta today chaired a meeting to review various events and activities being organized under AzadikaAmritMahotsav to celebrate 75 years of India’s Independence.Administrative Secretaries of departments of Home, General Administration, Culture, and Youth Services & Sports along with Director Information and Public Relations Department and concerned officers participated in the meeting.The Chief Secretary asked the Culture Department to organize events with an emphasis on Jammu and Kashmir’s glorious history and culture with suitable technological and digital intervention.The Department was asked to devise a calendar of 75 events each to be organized under 75 different activities up to 15th August, 2022, across all panchayats, blocks, and wards of the Union territory. The events will include mega cultural shows, Sufi & folk festivals, sports festivals, heritage events, and literary seminars & symposiums.
The Tourism Department was asked to organize a 3-month tourism festival from November to January to showcase various tourist attractions and destinations of both Jammu and Kashmir, while simultaneously organizing winter festivals in Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg, and Patnitop.The Chief Secretary advised the Department to lay special emphasis on promoting J&K’s art and culture by organizing various exhibitions at Dogra Art Museum, Kashmir Art Museum, Mubarak Mandi Complex, and Kala Kendra.Dr. Mehta directed the Youth Services and Sports Department to organize sports activities in all schools, colleges, wards, and panchayats. He further urged the Department to take up water conservation activities through large-scale youth participation.Further, School Education and Higher Education departments were asked to organize various commemoration activities to raise awareness on freedom movement and struggles; stories of unsung heroes and freedom fighters; key milestones during the freedom struggle; and the ideas that inspired the struggle for independence.