Panaji, Dec 25 (PTI) Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday appealed to the people to stand against the forces trying to divide society on religious and casteist lines.
Addressing a function in Pillar village near Panaji to mark Christmas, he said Goa has a history of communal harmony, unlike some states where fights had taken place between different communities during festivals.
“Some people try to create a division in the society based on caste and religion. We have to come together and defeat such forces,” the chief minister said without taking names.
He said Goa’s track record since its liberation in 1961 shows that the state has always maintained communal harmony.
“If you see some other states, fights have taken place between different communities during the festival. This has never happened in Goa, and we should not allow such a thing to happen here,” he said.
Sawant said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attended a function on Christmas day and even addressed the nation.
“PM Modi has spoken about four pillars for nation building which include women power, yuva shakti, kisan shakti and garib kalyan. The vision of Vikasit Bharat can be achieved only when the entire society works collectively,” he added.
Sawant said laws like the reservation for women in Parliament are a major step towards the empowerment of women in the country.
“The kind of programmes that have been introduced for yuva shakti aim for the welfare of youth force,” he said, adding that human resources are being created through the National Education Policy and other such measures by the Centre.
Sawant also said the Union government, for the first time, has introduced the concept of checking the health of soil, like any human being, which will help farmers.
“Schemes like ‘One Nation One Ration’ are also introduced to provide free ration to the poor and needy,” he added. PTI RPS NSK
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