A grateful nation pays homage to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary Froday. An all religion prayer meeting will be held at Raj Ghat, the Samadhi of Bapu in the morning. A special function to render Gandhi Bhajans at Gandhi Smriti will be organized in the afternoon. Union Government has planned a series of programmes to mark the occasion. The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate a National Convention on Panchayati Raj in New Delhi. State Panchayati Raj Ministers, elected representatives of Panchayats will participate in the convention which is also being addressed by the UPA Chairperson, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi to mark the 50 years of Panchayati Raj in the country. The provisions of the Gram Nyayalay Act will also come into force, paving the way for setting up of Nyayalayas at the grass root level. This will ensure speedy justice to the people at their door steps. The Health Minister, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad will be inaugurating the 27th Biennial Conference on Leprosy.