Mission remains to ensure voice of love heard in every corner of country: Rahul on BJY anniversary
New Delhi (PTI): On the second anniversary of the launch of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the yatra proved that Indians were inherently loving people and "today our mission remains to ensure that the voice of love is heard in every corner of the country".
"The Bharat Jodo Yatra taught me the beauty of silence. In the midst of cheering crowds and slogans, I discovered the power to tune out the noise and focus entirely on the person next to me -- to truly listen," Gandhi said in a post on X.
"In those 145 days, and the two years since, I've listened to thousands of Indians from diverse backgrounds. Each voice has carried wisdom, teaching me something new, and each has represented our beloved Bharat Mata," the former Congress chief said.
The yatra proved that Indians are inherently loving people, he said.
"When I started this journey I said love will conquer hate and hope will defeat fear, today our mission remains the same -- to ensure the voice of Bharat Mata, the voice of love is heard in every corner of our beloved country," Gandhi said, using the hashtag 'Bharat judne tak'.
Gandhi launched the yatra from Kanyakumari on September 7, 2022. It culminated on January 30, 2023, as he capped the ambitious 145-day journey in Srinagar.
During the course of the march, Gandhi addressed 12 public meetings, more than 100 street corner meetings and 13 press conferences. He had over 275 planned walking interactions and more than 100 sitting interactions.
With more than 4,000 kilometres under his belt, Gandhi managed to catch the attention of his supporters as well as detractors. The march witnessed participation from a cross-section of society, including film and TV celebrities such as Kamal Haasan, Pooja Bhatt, Riya Sen, Swara Bhasker, Rashami Desai, Akanksha Puri and Amol Palekar.
Besides, writers and military veterans, including former Army chief Gen (Retd) Deepak Kapoor and ex-Navy chief Admiral (Retd) L Ramdas, and noted people such as former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan and ex-finance secretary Arvind Mayaram also participated in the yatra.
Opposition leaders such as the National Conference's Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, People's Democratic Party's Mehbooba Mufti, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aaditya Thackeray, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Sanjay Raut, and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Supriya Sule also walked alongside Gandhi at various points during the march.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
BESCOM to organise EV expo for Secretariat employees in Jan 2025
Bengaluru (PTI): To encourage the adoption of electric vehicles (EV), Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) announced on Friday that a special EV fair will be organised for the Secretariat employees in January 2025.
During a meeting at the BESCOM office, Managing Director Mahantesh Bilagi said, "The fair is being organised following a directive of Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and will be conducted under the supervision of Energy Minister K J George and Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Gaurav Gupta."
According to him, the event aims to educate attendees about the benefits of environmentally friendly EVs and to encourage the adoption of two-wheeled EVs.
"During the fair, dealer discounts to government employees, particularly those in the Secretariat will also be offered. There will also be opportunities for practical demonstrations of the vehicles at the exhibition site," added Bilagi.
He said the Secretariat employees will also benefit from no down payment and low-interest loans to purchase the EV vehicles.
"EV companies are eager to participate and the sales will extend beyond the exhibition, continuing in the future," the Managing Director said.
The state, particularly Bengaluru, has the highest electric vehicle (EV) users, said Bilagi, adding that to support this, the Energy Department has provided essential infrastructure.
"BESCOM's efforts in promoting EV usage have been recognised with the 'Charge India 2024 Excellence' award. This award is a testament to our commitment to establishing excellent charging facilities. Karnataka has the country's most public electric vehicle charging stations, with a total of 5,765 stations, of which 4,462 are located in the Bengaluru Urban district," said Bilagi.
The Secretariat Employees' Association president Ramesh Sanga and other office-bearers, BESCOM Technical Director H J Ramesh as well as senior officials attended the meeting.
