BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made a series of announcements in the memory of former PM and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday. He also announced that Vajpayee's ashes will be immersed in all major rivers of Madhya Pradesh, including the Narmada.
Detailing about the slew of decisions, Chouhan announced building grand memorials in Bhopal and Gwalior, besides transforming Gorki Government Higher Secondary School in Gwalior (where Vajpayee studied from Class VI to Class VIII) as a centre of educational excellence.
It would include the building of smart classes, planetarium and museum, besides having a statue of the former PM who passed away on August 16.
The CM added that Smriti Vans (forest memorials) would be established in the departed leader's memory in Bhopal and Gwalior, which will also house statues of Vajpayee. The seven smart cities coming up in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Sagar and Satna will have world-class libraries named after Vajpayee.
Each of these libraries will be developed on the centre of excellence model, which will have provisions of coaching for youths, besides research and social thinking centres. The incubation centres coming up in these smart cities will also be named after the former PM and will facilitate start-ups by young entrepreneurs.
He further announced that Vajpayee's biography will be made part of school curriculum in the state from the next academic session. Also, three national awards will be instituted in Vajpayee's name in the sphere of poetry, journalism and good governance.
The three awards will carry a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each. Further, the four Shramoday Schools coming up in the state for quality education to children of labourers will also be named after Vajpayee, while the new government medical college coming up in Vidisha district too will be named after the departed leader.
Importantly, Vajpayee had won Lok Sabha polls from two seats, Lucknow and Vidisha in 1991, but vacated the Vidisha seat later. Chouhan also announced that he would request the Railways minister to name the upcoming hi-tech Habibganj railway station of Bhopal after Vajpayee.