Chandigarh, Oct. 25 -- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday paid obeisance to Maharishi Valmiki and flagged off a grand Shobha Yatra at Gandhi Basti in Dhuri to mark the saint's Parkash Purab.
Mann said the teachings of Maharishi Valmiki Ji and the Ramayana continued to inspire society to uphold truth, righteousness, equality, compassion and respect for every human being. He said Punjab, the land of Gurus, saints and martyrs, would continue to promote unity and brotherhood.
Paying tribute to the revered saint, the Chief Minister described him as the Adi Kavi, or first poet, and said the Ramayana conveyed timeless lessons on morality, duty and the triumph of good over evil. He urged people to follow these teachings and rise above social divisions.
Highlighting education as a means of social transformation, Mann said 882 students from Punjab government schools cleared NEET this year, compared with 80 in 2021, marking an almost eleven-fold increase in four years.
He said the achievement was particularly significant as many successful students came from economically weaker families, including those of rickshaw pullers, small shopkeepers and vegetable vendors.
Mann said quality education could help families overcome poverty and secure better futures for successive generations. Welfare assistance provided support, he added, but education enabled lasting economic empowerment.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.