Haryana CM Saini visits old-age home, gaushala to celebrate 56th birthday
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday turned 56 and celebrated his birthday by taking part in several events that included a visit to an old age home and a gaushala.
He began his day by meeting children at the 'Shishu Greh' in Panchkula, where he distributed sweets to young children. Thereafter, he visited an old-age home and sought blessings from the elderly.
After this, Saini reached village Samral in Panchkula district, where he sat among villagers and listened to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio broadcast programme "Mann Ki Baat."
Meanwhile, Saini, along with his wife Suman Saini, visited a gaushala at the Shri Mata Mansa Devi Temple complex in Panchkula. There, he fed fodder to the cows and offered prayers, seeking happiness, prosperity, and welfare of the State, an official statement said.
On the occasion of his birthday, the chief minister received greetings from the country's top leadership and several dignitaries.
According to the Haryana government statement, President Droupadi Murmu, called to extend birthday greetings and wished him good health and a long life.
PM Modi also greeted Saini on the social media platform X, describing him as an energetic leader dedicated to public service.
He wrote that Saini's grassroots experience is proving highly beneficial for the people of Haryana and that under his leadership, the state is continuously progressing on the path of development.
Union Ministers Amit Shah and Manohar Lal Khattar were among other leaders who greeted the Haryana CM.
Meanwhile, at a programme held at Mata Mansa Devi Gaushala in Panchkula, Nayab Singh Saini distributed cheques amounting to over Rs 1.22 crore as fodder grants to 14 gaushalas in the district.
The chief minister and his wife fed the cows fodder and jaggery.
He also performed Gau Pujan (cow worship) on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Saini said that in India, the cow has been revered since ancient times and accorded the status of a mother.
He said that the state government has taken several important steps towards the development of gaushalas, cow protection, and the promotion of natural farming.
Over the past 11 years, registered Gaushalas have been provided Rs. 270 crores as fodder grants, he said.
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Class 12 final exams of Odisha board begin amid tight security
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The class 12 final examinations of the Odisha board began on Wednesday amid heavy security, officials said.
A total of 4.01 lakh students are appearing for the exams being conducted by the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), Odisha, across 1,364 centres, they said.
The exams began with Science papers, while those for the Arts and Commerce streams will start on Friday. The exam will continue till March 28, they added.
A total of 2.56 lakh students are enrolled in the Arts stream, 1.14 lakh in Science, and 24,621 in Commerce, CHSE's Controller of Examinations Prasanta Kumar Parida said.
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There are also 5,932 students of vocational studies, he said.
The exam began at 10 am and will end at 1 pm, he added
Parida said live streaming of all examination centres has been made available, while 211 question paper hubs are being monitored with "AI technology".
Special squads have been deployed to conduct surprise inspections to check any malpractices, he added.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi extended greetings to all the students appearing for the examination.
"The examination is a beautiful reflection of your knowledge and hard work. There is no need to put any fear or stress in your mind for it. Remember, your performance will be of high quality only if you appear for the examination not under pressure, but with patience," he posted on X.
The practical examinations were conducted between January 2 and 15.
