India today paid homage to the architect of the Indian Constitution and Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar on his 125th birth anniversary. President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari offered floral tributes at the statue of Dr Ambedkar at the Parliament House Lawns in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tribute to Babasaheb. In a tweet, Mr Modi discribed , Dr Ambedkar as a Vishwa Manav, who devoted his life in service of the poor and marginalised. He said, Babasaheb believed in the power of education and his economic vision was unique, with a strong emphasis on welfare of the farmer as well as the worker.Home Minister Rajnath Singh, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot also offered floral tributes at the statue of Dr Ambedkar at the Parliament House Lawns. A number of functions are being organised all over the country to mark the occasion.
Odisha government today launched the second phase of its popular subsidised Aahar scheme on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the scheme in Cuttack today. As many as 100 new Aahar centres were opened today under the 2nd phase in various districts of the State. After successful implementation of 1st phase of Aahar scheme in April last year, the government has decided to roll out the populist 5 rupees meal scheme to 100 more towns. The government targets 60 thousand needy people across the State get subsidized food daily at bus stands, railway stations, hospitals and other public places in different towns and cities.
For the first time, the United Nations observed the birth anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar. It was organised by Permanent Mission of India to the UN in association with the Kalpana Saroj Foundation and Foundation For Human Horizon last night.Agency reports say, the vision of Dr Ambedkar to achieve social justice and equality also finds resonance in the core message of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In her Keynote speech, Ms Helen Clark, Chair of UN Development Group and Administrator of UN Development Program said that Dr Ambedkar’s work on the empowerment and inclusion of excluded groups, reform of labour laws, and promotion of education for all, made him an icon for marginalized people in India and in other countries.