Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal today to address the inaugural function of the ‘Parakram Diwas’ celebrations at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said, among the various programmes being organised across the nation, one special programme is being held at Haripura in Gujarat. He said, Haripura has a special relation with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. It was at the historic Haripura Session of 1938 that Netaji Bose took up the Presidentship of the Congress Party. 

The Prime Minister said, today’s programme at Haripura will be a tribute to Netaji’s contribution to the nation. He said, on the eve of Netaji Jayanti, his mind goes back to 23rd January 2009, the day, e-Gram Vishwagram Project was launched from Haripura. This initiative revolutionised Gujarat’s IT infrastructure and took the fruits of technology to the poor, in the remotest parts of the state. Mr Modi said, he can never forget the affection of the people of Haripura, who took him through an elaborate procession on the same road as Netaji Bose was taken, in 1938.

The Prime Minister also expressed the hope that the thoughts and ideals of Netaji keep inspiring people to work towards building a strong, confident and self-reliant India, whose human-centric approach contributes to a better planet in the years to come.

A High Level Committee, headed by the Prime Minister, has been constituted for deciding the programs, and to supervise and guide the commemoration throughout the year. The Committee will provide guidance for the commemoration activities in Delhi, Kolkata and other places associated with Netaji and Azad Hind Fauj, both in India as well as overseas.

In Odisha, special arrangements have been made at the Birth Place Museum of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Cuttack to mark Netaji’s 125th  birth anniversary. A number of dignitaries including Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik are paying rich tributes to Netaji at his birthplace. The Union Ministry of Culture has organised a special cultural show at the venue under the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ programme. 

INA veterans and freedom fighters will be felicitated in the programme which is scheduled to be attended by the Governor and Chief Minister of the state. The state government is celebrating Netaji’s birthday as Desh Nayak Diwas.

The main programme will be held in the esplanade area of central Kolkata. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with cabinet ministers, MP and MLAs will be taking part in a rally from North Kolkata to Central Kolkata.

Elaborate security arrangements have been put in  place in view of the VVIP programmes in the city today. More than two thousand police personnel have been deployed by Kolkata Police. Drones are being used for monitoring the situation.