Cultural performances, state schemes to mark I-Day event

Kolkata: The Independence Day programme at Red Road, which will be presided over by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, will witness a walk past of contingents where people of all religions and professionals from various fields will portray the ‘unity in diversity’ message.

The walkpast will start with Sampriti Rally on ‘Ekata’ (unity) with people from all religious communities taking part. Various social welfare schemes of the state government such as Lakshmir Bhandar, Kanyashree, Student Credit Card, Bhabishyat Credit Card, Sabuj Sathi, Aikyashree, Medhashree etc. will be part of the walk past. Banglar Sari and Forestation will also be highlighted through walk pasts organised by MSME and Forest

departments, respectively.

There will be separate walk pasts by farmers, labourers, tea garden workers, law professionals, doctors and nurses, self help groups and

sports personalities.

Several departments of the state government namely Information and Cultural Affairs, Women and Child department, Higher Education, Backward Classes Welfare, Agriculture, Health and Family Welfare, Labour, Judicial & Law, Forest, MSME, Panchayats and Rural Development and Youth Services and Sports will be involved in the walk past.

As in previous years, there will be cultural programmes and march past by different schools across the state. Nine schools from Kolkata, two from Cooch Behar, two from Kakdwip and one each from Bankura and Darjeeling will host such programmes.

Folk artists from Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Jhargram, Sunderbans and Purulia will perform dances of their respective districts while Baul artists from different districts will also be performing.

‘Dare Devils Show’ will be performed by Kolkata Police while ‘Winners Women’ team will take part in march past to the tune of ‘Safe Drive Save Life’. Indira Mukherjee, Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police, who is heading the special enquiry team (SET) probing the sexual abuse allegations against Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, will be awarded West Bengal Police Medal at the programme. The other recipients of the police medal will be Mukesh, Commissioner of Bidhannagar City Police, Avvaru Ravindranath, DIG (Security) and Dibyajyoti Das, OSD (Officer in-charge) in CMO (Chief

Minister’s Office) .