AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV

Under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) about 2.00 lakh events/ programmes have been organised in last two years. The entire country has participated in these events. The main events/programes organised under AKAM including honouring freedom fighters are as under:

1.     The Ministry of Culture organized the 217th Pazhassi Veerahuthi Raja Day on November 30th, 2022 and celebrated the contributions of Pazhassi Raja in Valliyoorkavu Temple ground, Mananthadavy.

2.      Har Ghar Tiranga -    The Hon'ble Prime Minister announced the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign on 22nd July 2022, encouraging people to bring home the National Flag to mark the 75th year of independence. More than 20 crore households hoisted the flag from 13th to 15th August 2022 and in the year 2023, more than 10 crore people uploaded their selfies with Tiranga  on harghartiranga.com.

3.     Rani Durgavati Commemoration: Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi performed ‘bhoomi poojan’ of ‘Veerangana Rani Durgavati Smarak aur Udyaan’ in Jabalpur in line with the 500th birth centenary celebrations of Rani Durgavati.

4.     SWASTI Zonal Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav was organized from 29th September – 2nd October 2023 at Central Park, Connaught Place. Hon’ble Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah graced the occasion on 2nd October with his presence.

5.      To mark the 125th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, on September 8, 2022, PM unveiled Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 28-ft jet black granite statue near India Gate. Govt. of India also declared 23rd January as Parakram Divas.

6.       On the special occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo, Hon’ble Prime Minister released a commemorative stamp and coin in honour of Sri Aurobindo’s memory.

7.      Shruti Amrut – Campaign under the theme “Cultural Pride” is a musical fiesta dedicated to honor the memories of unsung heroes. The performances by renowned singers is being organized across the nation from 1st October 2022 to 5th February 2023.

8.      An exhibition on Women Freedom Fighters was organised in Rampur Raza Library, Rampur on the occasion of birth anniversary of Rani Laxmi Bai from 19^th to 29^th November, 2022. From the start, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav has made special effort to increase the awareness and spotlight unsung heroes of freedom struggle and enable people to pay their tributes to those who made out freedom possible.

9.     Large scale efforts such as Azadi ki Railgaadi aur station, events in Meghalaya commemorating Tirot Sing, national events connected to Lachit Borphukan, inauguration of Biplabi Bharat Gallery in Victoria Memorial are some of the key initiatives in this direction.

10.     Under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,  an outreach program called KRANTITEERTH planned across India to commemorate unsung heroes, organisations, and places related to the freedom movement. The idea was to explore the marginalized or hidden histories of the leaders of India's freedom struggle and bring out their historical contribution to the mainstream narratives. More than 190 events have been organized across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura, and Odisha and included painting competitions, debates, essay writing competitions, seminars, nukkad naataks, institutional activities for students and youths. Families of martyrs were also honoured and felicitated under Krantiteerth. More such events are still being organized.

11.    Digital Jyot campaign: Through a sky beam light installed in Central Park, Delhi, people paid their tributes to the sacrifices made by our Bravehearts. A website was created for people to pay their tributes digitally, and more approx. 97 lakh people paid their tributes.

12.    Meri Maati Mera Desh: A program that connected Indians with their land, history, and heritage - fostering national pride and conservation of India's cherished cultural heritage. More than 2.33 lakh Shilaphalakams have been built across 36 States/UTs till date. Almost 4 crore Panch Pran pledge selfies have been uploaded on website till date. More than 2 lakhs Braveheart felicitation programmes have been organized across the country. On 31^st October, Hon’ble Prime Minister poured mitti in the Amrit Kalash, paying his tribute to the Bravehearts of our country.

13.    Through the campaigns Qila aur Kahaniya and Wonder Caves, the contribution of India’s forts and caves to the freedom struggle were highlighted. Through Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, the contribution of Tribal freedom fighters was also highlighted, and commemorations were held in remembrance of freedom fighters.

14.    Karpoori Thakur: Ministry of Culture celebrated the life and sacrifices of Karpoori Thakur ji on the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary on 24th January 2024. His contribution to freedom struggle and his honest public life as a politician were portrayed through an exhibition and a commemorative stamp and coin were released. On the eve of his birth centenary, the Government of India announced that Shri Karpoori Thakur Ji will be conferred with the Highest Civilian Honour, Bharat Ratna posthumously.

15.    A Digital District Repository has been compiled to discover and document stories of people, events, and places linked to the freedom struggle of India at the micro level of the district. As on date, about 14500 stories have been compiled and uploaded on the portal. These stories are broadly classified under the heading - People & Personalities, Events & Happenings, Hidden treasures -Built & Natural Heritage, and Living Traditions & Art Forms.

All Ministries/Departments, State Governments, UTs and their Attached/Subordinate/Autonomous Bodies, PSUs etc. Incur the expenditure on the events organised by them from their respective budget heads and there is no separate budget for AKAM.

This information was given by Union Minister for Culture, Tourism And Development of North Eastern Region Shri G.Kishan Reddy in Lok Sabha today.