By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 8 Mar: Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) inaugurated the 2-day Vasantotsav 2022 in the premises of the Raj Bhawan, here, on Tuesday. First Lady Gurmit Kaur was also present on the occasion. This year, the event began with celebration of the folk festival of Uttarakhand, ‘Phooldei’. The programme was inaugurated by the Governor with the release of balloons, symbolising peace in the air.
The Governor also released a postal first day cover issued by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs on the Yamuna Tulsi plant. Yamuna Tulsi is a perennial aromatic plant, whose height is about 1.5 metres and its branches are green or dark red, brown and purple in colour. This plant is considered very sacred in the dhams located in the mountainous regions. The plant is offered to Goddess Yamuna at Yamunotri Dham.
On this occasion, the Farmer MIS was launched by the Governor for transparent implementation of schemes for cultivators under various heads (central sponsored, state sector and district sector) run by the Horticulture Department. Farmers will be able to get the benefits of the schemes through MIS in time and the monitoring, planning and implementation of the schemes will be ensured by the department more smoothly.
The Governor along with the First Lady inspected the exhibits displayed by the participants. They appreciated the special efforts made by the flower growers of Uttarakhand. They also visited the various stalls set up on the occasion. He distributed jute bags and caps to the differently-abled children who participated in a painting competition.
Interacting with the media, Governor Singh said that, through the Vasantotsav, people are being encouraged to grow different types of plants. This festival also gives a message to people to connect with nature. People should be encouraged to protect the environment. Farmers will also get encouragement through the event.
In today’s event, a total of 1985 participants in 51 subcategories of 12 categories participated. A total of 242 stalls were set up on this occasion, including 24 state and 218 individual stalls. Through these stalls, their programmes and activities were displayed by the concerned departments and various firms/companies. Various firms producing horticultural equipment, biofertilisers, biological pest control and non-government organisations/self-help groups/local producer organisations associated with horticulture activities displayed their products.
Competitions on flowers like rose, gudhal, rhododendron, strawberry blossom, etc., have been included in the spring festival. Due to the selection of bakery products under “One District One Product” in Dehradun district, edible flowers suitable for bakery products have also been included in the competition for the first time. For the first time this year, a competition on flower pots has also been included.
Various activities were conducted following all the standards of COVID-19 and announcements were made from time to time to make the general public aware in this regard. Masks and sanitisers were arranged by the Red Cross Society on this occasion. Along with this, wheel chairs were arranged in the Raj Bhawan premises for the differently-abled children and arrangements for thermal scanning machines, masks and sanitisers were made at the main entrance of Raj Bhawan.
Bands of the Indian Military Academy, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and PSC remained the main centre of attraction.
This year, there are 786 participants in cut flower (traditional) competition, 201 participants in cut flower (non-traditional) category, 18 in potted plant category, 58 in loose flower category, 53 in potted plant (non-floral) category, 52 in Hanging Pot category, 40 in On Spot Photography, 29 in Fresh Petal Rangoli and 677 in Painting Competition participated. A total of 1985 participants have participated in various competitions. First, second and third prizes will be given in these competitions. After the decision of the jury, the awards will be presented on 9 March.
