Patna, Aug 9 (IANS) On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan and Bihar Vriksha Suraksha Diwas, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday tied a protective thread to a tree and planted a sapling at Rajdhani Vatika in Patna.

Greeting the people of Bihar and the country, CM Nitish described Raksha Bandhan as a festival of love and affection between brothers and sisters.

He recalled that Bihar Vriksha Suraksha Diwas, launched on August 13, 2012, aims to raise awareness about environmental protection, encourage large-scale tree plantation, and preserve greenery to combat climate change.

The CM said initiatives under Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali and eco-tourism schemes are making people more aware of environmental and wildlife conservation.

On this occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Sunil Kumar, Nitish Kumar’s son Nishant Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister S. Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department Harjot Kaur, Special Officer to the Chief Minister Gopal Singh, Commissioner of Patna Division Chandrashekhar Singh, District Magistrate of Patna Dr. Tyagarajan S.M., Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya K. Sharma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Prabhat Kumar Gupta and other senior officers and dignitaries were present.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and senior RJD leader Rabri Devi upheld her Raksha Bandhan tradition by tying a Rakhi to her adopted brother and party Legislative Council member Sunil Kumar Singh.

Wishing him a long and happy life, she visited his residence for the ritual, as she does each year.

Singh, the party’s state treasurer and former Biscoman chairman, is known to be a trusted aide of the Lalu-Rabri family.

The gesture also underscored Rabri’s continuing estrangement from her biological brothers Sadhu Yadav and Subhash Yadav, with whom relations soured after she and Lalu Prasad were not in power.

Political observers note that the annual ceremony with Singh reflects how strong bonds can form outside family ties, while blood relations may weaken over time.

–IANS

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