COOCH BEHAR, July 5 -- A statue of 'Bharat Mata' (Mother India) was unveiled at Talliguri High School in the Natabari Assembly constituency of Cooch Behar on Sunday to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. The statue was inaugurated during a programme organised by the social organisation 'Talli'.
The inauguration was officiated by Hiranmoy Goswami Maharaj. Among those present were State Education minister Deepak Barman, State minister for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Malati Rava Roy, Natabari MLA Girija Shankar Roy, Sanjay Chakraborty, and Sajal Chattopadhyay, a descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the composer of Vande Mataram.
Addressing the gathering, Education minister Deepak Barman welcomed the installation of the Bharat Mata statue to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. He said: "There is no fixed time for doing good work. Such initiatives should continue in the future to strengthen the spirit of patriotism."
In a political remark, the minister said: "There are separatist forces desperate to fragment the country, as well as a class of 'brokers' who constantly oppose America yet accept funds from American sources to oppose India. As long as these elements remain active, more such statues must be erected."
On the sidelines of the programme, State Minister for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Malati Rava Roy responded to concerns over beneficiaries
yet to receive financial assistance under the Annapurna Bhandar scheme. She said payments had already been made to more than 1.09 crore women and assured that the remaining verification and processing work was underway. "Funds will soon be credited to the bank accounts of all eligible beneficiaries," she said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.