The nation remembered the country's first woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 94th birth anniversary on Saturday. Floral tributes, launching of welfare schemes and variuos functions marked the day.
The functions began with President Pratibhadevi Singh Patil,Vice President Hamid Ansari and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi leading the nation in paying floral tributes to Indira Gandhi this morning at her memorial Shakti Sthal on the banks of Yamuna.
Floral tributes were also paid to her portrait at Parliament House by Sonia Gandhi, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Opposition Leader in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Parliamentarians.
A booklet containing the profile of Gandhi brought out in Hindi and English by Lok Sabha Secretariat was also presented to the dignitaries who attended the function.
Social activist Ela Bhatt has been selected for the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2011. Ms. Bhatt has been selected for the award for her lifetime achievements in comprehensively empowering women in India and elsewhere through grassroots entrepreneurship, access to shelter, healthcare, micro-finance and micro-insurance.
Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Ajay Maken presented the Indira Gandhi National Social Service Awards for the year 2010-11 to ten programme officers, 30 NSS Volunteers and two Universities at a function in New Delhi .
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee launched a website of the National Mission for Empowerment of Women on the occasion. The website has been designed by the Women and Child Development Ministry.
The Delhi Government launched Chahcha Nehru Swasthya Yojana which will provide free health care facilities to all children studying in government schools. 14 lakh children will be covered under the scheme in the first phase. Various state governments also launched welfare schemes.
Several functions were also organised across the country to promote the Indira Gandhi's ideas of women empowerment and cultural integration. A musical concert was o organized at the Indira Gandhi memorial which was attended by cabinet ministers, senior political leaders and school children.
AIR correspondent reports that National Integration Week is also being observed across the country from Saturday as a mark of respect to the departed leader.
