Naveen among six from Odisha included in Central panel for 75th Independence Day celebrations

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and five other dignitaries from Odisha have been included in a Central committee constituted to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence.

They were Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu, Union Petroleum & Natural Gas; Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, PM’s Principal Secretary Pramod Kumar Mishra and eminent sculptor Sudarshan Sahoo.

The panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi comprised of 259 members including former president Pratibha Patil, Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, 28 chief ministers, union ministers, several governors, artistes like Lata Mangeshkar, AR Rahman, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, senior BJP leader LK Advani and eminent citizens from all walks of life.

Opposition leaders including Congress President Sonia Gandhi, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati are also part of the committee.

The committee will provide policy direction and guidelines for the formulation of programmes for the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence, at national and international levels, a statement from the Union Ministry of Culture said yesterday.

The celebrations are proposed to be launched 75 weeks prior to August 15, 2022, on March 12, 2021, which is the 91st anniversary of the historic Salt Satyagraha led by Mahatma Gandhi.

The high-level committee will hold its first meeting on March 8, 2021, to discuss modalities relating to preparatory activities for the celebrations.

Earlier, a National Implementation Committee under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah had been constituted for the commemoration of 75 years Independence celebrations. A Committee of Secretaries has also been set up for this purpose.