New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Monday that Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti will be observed as a public holiday in the city every year, allowing citizens to celebrate the festival with devotion and enthusiasm.

She said that, for the first time, the Delhi government has extended support to many organisations to ensure that this year’s Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti celebrations are held on a historic scale across the capital.

Praising the New Delhi Municipal Council’s decision to regularise 4,500 employees, the Chief Minister described it as a progressive step that reinforces the principles of equality, dignity, and social justice.

She said that this decision not only safeguards the rights of employees but also provides them with stability and respect in society.

The Chief Minister participated in three key programmes during the day as part of the Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti Mahotsav at the Delhi Secretariat, the Adikavi Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti Celebration at the NDMC Convention Centre, and an event in the Shalimar Bagh area’s Haiderpur.

Highlighting the government’s vision to establish Delhi as the “Cultural Capital of India,” the Chief Minister said that the city is celebrating all faiths and traditions from Kanwar Yatra and Ramlila to Durga Puja and Valmiki Jayanti with equal respect and grandeur.

“In Delhi today, every religion and every tradition is being honoured equally, and this is the true vision of Ram Rajya,” she said.

On the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of Adikavi (the first poet) Maharishi Valmiki, the Chief Minister paid rich tributes to his life and teachings, describing them as timeless beacons of equality, humanity, and collective progress.

The Chief Minister said that through his immortal epic, the Ramayana, Maharishi Valmiki showed society the path of ideals, righteousness, and compassion.

His life, she said, symbolises a just and harmonious society where every section progresses and every individual’s contribution is valued.

–IANS

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