GUWAHATI, Oct 31 - Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) was observed at the headquarters of the NF Railway (Construction Organisation) at Maligaon here today. The day was observed today throughout the country to commemorate the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
On the occasion, NK Prasad, General Manager of NFR (Construction Organisation), administered a unity pledge to the staff and officers and paid floral tributes to Sardar Patel. In his short speech he said Sardar Patel was a man of integrity who fought to make India strong and united.
Prasad flagged off the commemorative �Run for Unity�, covering a distance of 3.5 km from the headquarters complex of NFR (Construction Organisation). A huge number of staff, officers and their families also participated in the event.
NFR (Construction Organisation) also observed the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel at all its projects sites and offices.
Different programmes were organised to highlight the efforts made by Sardar Patel for uniting the country.
The NF Railway (NFR) also celebrated Sardar Patel�s birth anniversary.
As part of the activities, a pledge was administered to all officers and staff of NFR headquarters by Radhey Raman, Additional General Manager of NFR, at Maligaon here. Speaking on the occasion, he said Sardar Patel was a great visionary whose tireless efforts helped India to remain united.
A �run for unity� was also organised, in which officers, staff, sportspersons and volunteers of the Scout and Guides participated.
A quiz competition was also held on the topic �Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and his role on national integration� during the occasion, where employees of all departments participated. Streetplays were held to create awareness on national integration. Later, a cultural programme depicting the �unity in diversity� of India was also performed by the staff of NFR HQ.
Videos on the life and activities of Sardar Patel were prepared in various languages and shown through display systems at important stations all over the NFR zone.
BSF programme: Guwahati Frontier Border Security Force today observed Rashtriya Ekta Diwas commemorating the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and pledging to preserve and strengthen unity, integrity and security of the nation.
A run for unity was organised by Frontier HQ BSF, Guwahati, from the Frontier main gate to Dharapur SOS (Airport) Road. The staff of FTR HQ, CAPFs CH, 1ST Bn NDRF and BSF Air Base, Guwahati participated in it. The border sentinels in colourful symbols and the maxims of �Unity� in their T-shirts and the echo of patriotic songs enlivened the atmosphere in the morning, a BSF release said.
During the day, a pledge-taking ceremony was conducted by Piyush Mordia, Inspector General, BSF Guwahati Frontier. He also read over the message from the Union Home Minister with regard to the celebration of Rastriya Ekta Diwas. �This occasion provides us an opportunity to reaffirm the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand the actual and potential threats to the unity, integrity and security of our country,� he said.
The day is marked by tributes to Sardar Patel who was instrumental in keeping India united. At the time of Independence, Sardar Patel played a key role for the Indian Union.
A march-past from Narayana Hospital-Saraighat (Brahmaputra) Bridge-Jalukbari Flyover-Guwahati University Main and Rear Gate and finally concluding at Frontier HQ Main Gate was another highlight.
