Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was conferred the 'Mahatma Phule Samta Award' in Pune on the occasion of 131st death anniversary of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule on Sunday. The award was presented to him by the National president of the council, Chhagan Bhujbal in a function organised by All India Mahatma Phule Samta Parishad at Mahatma Phule Memorial 'Samta Bhoomi' in Pune. Bhujbal honored Baghel with a Phule turban, a shawl, award money and a memento.
"In the history of five thousand years of India, three and a half thousand years were ruled by the backwards. The country's economy was shattered during the British rule. In such a situation, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule worked for the establishment of an egalitarian society through social reform. Mahatma Phule was the leading leader of the social revolution, while the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi was the preeminent social reformer of the political revolution. We are working for the establishment of social justice in Chhattisgarh by following the path shown by these Mahatmas", said the Chief Minister addressing the function.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has been selected for this year's award for his extraordinary works and crucial decisions taken towards providing justice to the deprived sections of the society during his tenure. A copy of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule's book 'Kisan Ka Koda' was presented to the Chief Minister at the programme. Earlier, the Chief Minister paid floral tributes to the statues of Mahatma Phule and Savitri Bai Phule at Mahatma Phule Memorial 'Samta Bhoomi'.
"Mahatma Phule and Savitri Bai Phule devoted their life working for the welfare of the underprivileged and downtrodden, showed them the way of life and earned respect in the society. Mahatma Phule, a fervent revolutionary, looked closely at the problems of his time, understood them and found their solution. He directly attacked the stereotypes prevailing in the society, while working to solve the issues of education, medicine and equality of that time and contributed significantly to the creation of an egalitarian society. He carried forward the works of Mahatma Gandhi", said Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in his address at the function while paying homage to Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitri Bai Phule.
On the occasion, Baghel while paying homage to the holy land of Maharashtra said that this is the land of many saints and revolutionary leaders including Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. "There was a time when India used to have 23 per cent of the GDP of the whole world. People practiced agriculture and craftsmen and artisans used to make artwork. India's economy flourished back then, making the country popularly known as "golden bird". This continued in the Mughal Empire, however, India's economy shattered during the British rule. Agriculture was affected and skilled people were left unemployed. In such a situation Mahatma Phule emerged as a guiding light, who worked for the establishment of an egalitarian society through social reform," he said.