By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 6 Feb: Vasantotsav, organised every year at the Raj Bhavan, here, will be organised from 1 to 3 March, this year. In a meeting held under the chairmanship of Governor Lt General Gurmit Singh (Retd) at the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday, he said that Vasantotsav should be organised as a festival with full enthusiasm, ensuring participation of the maximum number of people. He said that, instead of making this a government event, private partnership should be encouraged and the general public involved.
The Governor also gave instructions for proper publicity of this event. He said that efforts should be made to take the celebration of Vasantotsav from local to global.
Singh added that floriculture should be promoted in Uttarakhand at the event. It is necessary to link the flower exhibition with commercial activities. The flowers here need marketing not only in the state but across the country. It should be a platform for the farmers and producers involved in commercial cultivation of floriculture, herbs, aromatic plants and other organic products from far-flung areas of the state.
He directed that, during Vasantotsav, food courts should be set up with the help of IHM and GMVN as well as women self-help groups. Priority should be given to millets. Honey production, too, would be especially encouraged through the event. The Governor said that there should be maximum participation of women in stalls based on floriculture and agricultural activities. They should be given preference in this regard.
The Governor instructed officials to complete the appropriate arrangements related to this event in time.
Officials disclosed that competitions have been organised under 15 categories in the flower exhibition. Performances will be given by bands of the ITBP, IMA, PAC, Scouts and Guides and Home Guards. Courtesy of the Culture Department, folk artists will also present a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage of the state. Demonstrations related to yoga and martial arts will also be organised.
For the first time, hydroponic farming technology demonstration has also been included in Vasantotsav, for which three prizes will be given. Competitions related to roof top gardening, bonsai gardening, terrarium and honey processing will also be organised. Flower exhibitions and competitions among various government gardens including commercial and private flower growers, flower based rangoli competitions will also be organised. A photo exhibition based on flowers and natural beauty will also be held during the Spring Festival. Along with all the competitions like cut flower, potted plant arrangement, loose flower arrangement, hanging pots, ‘on the spot photography’ will also be organised.
Present at the meeting were Secretary to the Governor, Ravinath Raman, Secretary, Agriculture and Horticulture, Vinod Kumar Suman, Additional Secretary to Governor Swati S Bhadauria, Director, Horticulture and Food Processing, Deepti Singh, Additional Director Dr RK Singh, Finance Controller Governor Dr Trupti Srivastava, Joint Director, Information, Dr Nitin Upadhyay including and Tourism, Horticulture, ITBP, ONGC, IHM, GMVN, Tourism, Indian Post, Forest Department, Police, Culture, and Horticulture officials.
