Arun Jaitley to deliver Sardar Patel Memorial lecture

NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley will deliver Sardar Patel Memorial lecture here on Monday, which will be aired by All India Radio ( AIR) on October 31 as part of its birth anniversary celebrations of the country's first Home Minister.

Officials said Jaitley would deliver the lecture on 'Is it possible to impose restrictions on freedom of speech and expression, given today's landscape?' at National Media Centre on Monday.

A recording of Jaitley's speech would be broadcast by AIR on October 31, officials said.

All India Radio has lined up special programmes for its stations across the country as part of birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel from October 25 to 31, they added.

Officials said AIR stations will mount programmes in different languages and dialects, and coverage will also be provided to various events held on the occasion.

Giving details, an official said one of the programmes is a face to face interaction with Tarun Vijay, Member of Parliament, which will focus on Sardar's perception of India's foreign policy and special programs in AIR news bulletins are also planned.

In addition, it will also broadcast versification of various dimensions of Sardar's personality composed by eminent music composers.

AIR's social media platforms will pay tribute to Sardar Patel by hosting excerpts of his archived historical speeches.