SONIPAT: The Haryana government will launch a month-long ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ from September 17 to October 17 to showcase Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25-year journey in public life and highlight his contribution to nation-building and public service, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda said on Sunday.Addressing a press conference at the PWD Rest House on Railway Road, Dhanda said the campaign would not be confined to conventional political programmes but would be taken to villages, neighbourhoods, educational institutions, social and religious organisations and every polling booth across the state.“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has devoted 25 years of his public life to public service, nation-building and strengthening India. His journey from Gujarat’s chief minister to the Prime Minister of the country has been marked by several decisions and initiatives that have accelerated the country’s development,” Dhanda said.He said 13 major programmes had been planned under the campaign, with the objective of taking the message of service, development and nation-building to every section of society.Recalling Modi’s tenure as Gujarat chief minister, Dhanda said the state’s reconstruction following the devastating Bhuj earthquake was among the major challenges faced by the then state leadership.Despite the extensive loss of life and economic damage, Gujarat witnessed rapid reconstruction and subsequently emerged as a prominent example of development, he said.According to Dhanda, Modi’s nearly 12-13 years as Gujarat chief minister demonstrated a development-oriented model of governance that subsequently strengthened his credibility across the country and contributed to the BJP’s victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.Dhanda said India’s profile on the global stage had strengthened significantly under Modi’s leadership, with the Prime Minister receiving high civilian honours from several countries.He said Modi’s vision extended beyond India’s economic growth and sought to take the philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ to the global community.“India’s larger objective is to promote peace, human welfare and development across the world. For that, India must first become economically, socially, technologically and strategically strong,” he said.Highlighting the importance of connectivity, Dhanda said robust infrastructure was indispensable for sustained economic growth.He recalled the role of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in connecting rural areas with all-weather roads and said the expansion of highways, expressways, railways and air connectivity had gathered further momentum under Modi.The resulting improvement in connectivity had boosted trade, employment and development opportunities, he said, adding that the transformation was visible to ordinary citizens across Haryana and the country.Dhanda also highlighted the Modi government’s decisions concerning internal and external security.He described the abrogation of Article 370 as a landmark decision and claimed that it had ushered in a new phase of development and peace in Jammu and Kashmir.He also pointed to the government’s efforts against Left-Wing Extremism, saying that sustained action had helped strengthen peace and security in several affected regions.The Education Minister said the Modi government had placed particular emphasis on extending basic amenities to poor and vulnerable families.He cited the Ujjwala Yojana, under which LPG connections were provided to millions of women from economically weaker households, as well as the Swachh Bharat Mission, which drove a nationwide campaign for household sanitation.Dhanda said issues that had traditionally remained outside mainstream public discourse were brought to the centre of national policy through these initiatives, contributing to improved living standards for millions of families.One of the campaign’s key programmes, ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’, will seek to celebrate major development projects completed in recent years.Citizens will gather and light lamps at locations where significant infrastructure projects—including roads, national highways, schools, colleges, community health centres, primary health centres, hospitals, secretariats and other public facilities—have been completed.The programme is intended to symbolise public appreciation of the development journey, Dhanda said.The campaign will also engage schoolchildren through ‘Sapnon Ka Bharat’, a programme designed to give young minds a platform to articulate their vision of the India they want to see.Government and private schools will organise competitions in speech, painting, rangoli and other creative disciplines at the school, district and state levels. Winners will be felicitated and encouraged.“The idea is to understand how children imagine the India of the future and give their aspirations a meaningful platform,” Dhanda said.Through ‘Namo Seva Gatha’, information about various welfare schemes and policy initiatives will be taken to the grassroots.The campaign will cover initiatives relating to Jan Dhan accounts, women’s and maternal health, skill development and ‘Har Ghar Nal Se Jal’, among others.Workers and volunteers will disseminate information at the booth level and encourage eligible beneficiaries to avail themselves of government schemes.A dedicated programme titled ‘Aangan’ will be organised at anganwadi centres, focusing on young children and mothers.The centres will host competitions and activities for children, while mothers will also be involved. Special emphasis will be placed on creating awareness among pregnant women about healthy pregnancy, nutrition and child health.“Healthy children and healthy mothers are the foundation of a strong India,” Dhanda said.Through ‘Kahani Badlav Ki’, the campaign will narrate the changes witnessed in India during Modi’s 25 years in public life.Street plays, social media and other creative communication platforms will be used to highlight changes in roads, electricity, water supply, healthcare, education, security, technology and welfare.The ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ will focus on taking the vision of making India a developed nation by 2047 to every household and village.Dhanda said the goal of a developed India was not the agenda of an individual or political party but a collective national aspiration involving all citizens.He appealed to young people and people from all sections of society to contribute to the country’s development journey.The campaign will also feature a ‘Seva Jyoti Yatra’, aimed at strengthening the values of service, dedication and social responsibility.Institutions and organisations working in the social sector will be associated with the initiative. Dhanda said such organisations also played a vital role in preserving India’s cultural traditions and social heritage.Under ‘Seva Mera Yogdan’, citizens will be encouraged to contribute to society according to their individual abilities.While some may participate in cleanliness drives, others could contribute through blood donation camps or other forms of social service.“Service has no single form. Every positive contribution made for society is ultimately a contribution to nation-building,” Dhanda said.A major visual attraction of the campaign will be ‘Rangoli Rashtra’, featuring a giant rangoli based on the map of India within a circumference of 108 metres.The installation will showcase the cultural diversity, food traditions and distinctive identities of different states.Organisers will use natural materials such as rice, leaves and other eco-friendly items while avoiding plastic and chemical-based materials. Students and talented artists will also be invited to participate.Dhanda said the National Innovation Challenge and Jan Seva Mahakumbh would be among the 13 flagship programmes planned during the month-long campaign.The initiatives are intended to provide a platform for talent, creativity and the spirit of public service across different sections of society.He stressed that the campaign should not be viewed merely as a month-long series of events, but as an effort to create a sustained culture of service and nation-building.Dhanda said the entire campaign would ultimately be taken down to the booth level, with the participation of party workers as well as social, religious, spiritual, literary and other organisations.“The central idea of Seva Sankalp Abhiyan is to draw inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25-year journey of service, dedication and nation-building and encourage every citizen to make a meaningful contribution to the country and society,” Dhanda said.Rai MLA Krishna Gahlawat, Sonipat MLA Nikhil Madaan, Kharkhoda MLA Pawan Kharkhoda and Sonipat Municipal Corporation Mayor Rajiv Jain were also present at the press conference