Chandigarh, August 22: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday directed the Cultural Affairs Ministry to draw up a comprehensive proposal for commemorating the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in a befitting manner, and said he would meet the Prime Minister personally to seek central funds for the event.
The Chief Minister was chairing a meeting to review the preparations for the commemorative event.
Captain Amarinder sought from the Culture Affairs Ministry a detailed expenditure plan for the programme and said he would personally submit the same to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for early release of funds needed for infrastructure and development works around the historic monument in Amritsar.
Captain Amarinder also approved the constitution of a State Level Implementation Committee to coordinate with the Union Cultural Affairs Ministry to ensure smooth preparations and successful culmination of the historic event to be held on April 13, 2019. The committee, to be headed by the Chief Minister, would periodically review and monitor the preparations. He also ordered the formation of a Local Level Implementation Committee, to be headed by the Cultural Affairs Minister, for the micro planning of the event.
Observing that the Prime Minister heads the Jallianwala Bagh Trust, Captain Amarinder said the state government had sent a request seeking Rs. 100 Crores for the development of surrounding areas and related facilities around the national monument. Modi had personally assured him of all financial assistance, the Chief Minister said, adding that the centenary events had national relevance and needed to be observed at a national level.
The Chief Minister has also asked the Municipal Commissioner Amritsar to collect and collate all the available material on the historic event, and get it translated in Punjabi so that it could be displayed inside the Bagh. This would act as a source of inspiration for the visitors and help create awareness among youngsters. He also directed the Deputy Commissioner Amritsar to try and get more such material from Lahore and other places in Pakistan.
The Chief Minister while lauding the efforts of Lady Kishwar Desai, Partition Museum Trust Chair, and UK MP Lord Meghnad Desai for their efforts to restore the great monument, asked the Cultural Affairs Department to engage their services to support the government’s efforts to maintain and preserve the great monument, which was a tribute to the sacrifices of the millions who lost their lives during India’s freedom struggle.
Lady Kishwar Desai along with Lord Mehnad Desai, Lord Rajinder Loomba, Raju Chadha and B S Kakkar had called on the Chief Minister earlier in the day and made a powerpoint presentation proposing various measures to spruce up the area around Jallianwala Bagh. The Chief Minister also asked the Cultural Affairs Department to facilitate the making of a Mobile Application encapsulating the history of the historic event, as suggested by the delegation.
The meeting was attended, amongst others, by Tourism & Cultural Affairs Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary to CM Tejveer Singh, and Principal Secretary Culture Roshan Sunkaria.
