Culture Ministry to coordinate Guru Nanak Dev’s 550th birth anniversary celebrations

Ravi S Singh
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 15

The high power national implementation committee under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the union ministry of culture to coordinate with various ministries and departments in planning the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev.

The Centre has planned events across the world next year to mark the event.  Culture Minister is the nodal agency to coordinate the event.  It will have to update the implementation committee of its progress in the next meeting.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma attended the last meet’s committee that Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired. Former Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, who was recently appointed as member of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, also attended the meeting.

Punjab Government has proposed projects worth Rs 2,145 crore for the celebrations. The culture minister will now study the proposed projects, which would mean the involvement of ministries and government departments.

Among the events on the committee’s agenda is centenary event to mark the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.  The committee has directed the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust to hold a meeting soon to mark the centenary year.