CM N Rangasamy unfurls tricolour at celebration of 61st Liberation Day

PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister N Rangasamy today unfurled the national flag at Gandhi Thidal here, marking the celebration of the 61st Liberation Day of Puducherry.

He inspected the guard of honour by Puducherry Police and took the salute at the march past presented by various contingents and also cultural teams.

Earlier addressing members of the public at the event, he said his government would spare no effort to address the needs of all sections of people, particularly the downtrodden and underprivileged. Educational and health care services in Puducherry had been on the rise, he claimed.

Acknowledging the support his government was getting from the people all along, Rangasamy urged them to continue their cooperation to ensure that more welfare measures could be evolved and implemented.

On November 1, 1954 Puducherry and the then French establishments merged with the Indian Union de facto in consonance with the verdict registered at the referendum n Oct 18 1954 at the border village of Kizhoor.

Rangasamy said his government had declared Nov 1 would be celebrated every year as Liberation Day and was glad to see he had the opportunity to lead Puducherry to hold the `grand festival`.

Recalling the services of freedom fighters and stalwarts of the liberation movement in achieving freedom, he stressed the need for all to repose faith in democracy and democratic institutions and nurture virtues of fraternity and unity.

Speaker V Sabapathy, Ministers, legislators, freedom fighters and officials were among those present.

The day was celebrated simultaneously in the outlying regions of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam.