Madhya Pradesh on Thursday witnessed the lighting of 3.55 crore ‘Ashirwad Diyas’ simultaneously across the state to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday and launch the month-long ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’.
The main celebration was held in Ujjain, where 33.27 lakh lamps were lit at various locations, including the ghats along the Shipra River and the Mahakal Lok corridor.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, state BJP president Hemant Khandelwal and state in-charge Mahendra Singh joined thousands of residents at Ramghat for the ceremony. The mass lighting began at 7 pm following a siren.
More than 25,000 volunteers, devotees and residents participated in the event at Ramghat, Datt Akhada, Kedareshwar, Sunhari and Bhookhi Mata ghats, as well as Mahakal Lok.
“The lighting of lamps is a symbol of people’s affection, respect and gratitude for Prime Minister Modi’s 25 years of service to the nation and his contribution to nation-building,” Yadav said.
The chief minister said the celebrations were intended to take the spirit of service and public participation to every part of the state.
“The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan will carry forward the spirit of service through activities focused on public welfare and social participation. It is a collective pledge to contribute to the development and welfare of Madhya Pradesh,” he said.
The BJP leaders also participated in the Shipra Aarti and offered prayers for the happiness, prosperity and well-being of the people of the state.
According to a statement issued by the state BJP, the ‘Ashirwad Diya’ programme was organised simultaneously at 845 iconic locations across Madhya Pradesh, with large numbers of people participating.
Earlier, Nabin, along with Yadav, launched the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ in Indore.
The Ujjain event, featuring 33.27 lakh lamps, was also billed as a world record.
(IANS Inputs)
