Nepal invited to become partner country for Gita Jayanti Mahotsav 2019

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has invited Nepal to be the partner country for this year's 'Gita Jayanti Mahotsav', scheduled to be held at Kurukshetra from December 3 to 8.

He extended the invitation when Nepal's Ambassador to India Nilamber Acharya called on him here on Friday, an official statement said.

The chief minister said Haryana has been celebrating Gita Jayanti Mahotsav for the last three years and every year a country is invited to become the partner country for the mega event.  He said a seminar on the revered Shrimad Bhagavad Gita will be organised as part of the celebration on December 6, and the devotees and scholars from Nepal can participate in it.

Khattar said as a result of the efforts made by Haryana for the promotion of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita at a grand scale, many countries have started celebrating Gita Jayanti.

He said Mauritius organised Gita Mahotsav in February 2019 and the same will be organised in the United Kingdom from August 7 to August 9 this year.

Canada has also proposed to organise a similar event there, Khattar told the envoy.

The senior BJP leader said about 18,000 students recited 'shlokas' of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita in last year's celebration.

Ambassador Nilamber Acharya said India and Nepal share many similarities. He said Haryana and Nepal could collaborate in the fields of agriculture, agro industry, and share their best practices, contributing significantly to the development of both the regions.

On the occasion, Khattar also presented a copy of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and a model of Lord Krishna's chariot to Acharya as a token of respect.

Haryana Chief Secretary Keshni Anand Arora and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Rajesh Khullar were also  present on the occasion.

Earlier, Acharya called on Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya at the Raj Bhawan here.