Imbibing Bapu’s principles true homage to him: CM

Rajkot: Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Saturday called upon people to imbibe Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of non-violence and cleanliness as he paid tribues to the Father of the Nation on his 152nd birth anniversary.
Speaking at an all-faith prayer meet at Kirti Mandir in Bapu’s birthplace Porbandar, Patel said assimilating his ideals will be the true homage to Gandhiji.
Patel called upon the people to make cleanliness an instinct and keep the state at the forefront in the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Clean India movement as well as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) by realising Gandhiji's mantra of cleanliness. “Gujarat has been at the forefront of sanitation and water supply works through sustainable development,” he said, and exuded confidence that the Gujarat of Mahatma Gandhi would achieve new heights.
Patel inaugurated several projects in Porbandar. These included a children's home for boys built at the cost of Rs four crore by the social security department and a new building of Porbandar-Chaya joint municipality constructed at the cost of Rs six crore. Patel also visited the Sandipani ashram of spiritual preacher Rameshbhai Oza.
In the first phase of AMRUT Mission, Gujarat is placed at the third position in the country, having completed 305 important works at a cost of Rs 2,800 crore, Patel said.
“As many as 95 projects related to safe drinking water supply have been completed in 31 cities. As a result, connections have been provided to 1.70 lakh houses,” he said.
Remembering Gandhiji’s idea of Surajya, Patel said “Gandhiji’s mantra of cleanliness was taken up by the PM as a social campaign which has become a massive public campaign. If Gandhiji gave us Swarajya, which paved the way for the upliftment of the poor villages, PM has started the journey of Surajya (good governance).”